How Uchiha Sasuke Romanced Haruno Sakura
by Nakoujou
Summary: "Otousan? Romantic? PFFFF," Sousuke spat in disbelief. "You're as romantic as a hippo," added Kimiko dryly. "So Otouchan is a hippo?" Kenji quipped. Uchiha Sasuke smirked. It was about time his kids learned how he romanced their mother, Haruno Sakura.
1. Prologue

How Uchiha Sasuke Romanced Haruno Sakura

Summary: "Otousan? Romantic? PFFFF," Sousuke spat in disbelief. "You're as romantic as a hippo," added Kimiko dryly. "So Otouchan is a hippo?" Kenji quipped. Uchiha Sasuke smirked. It was about time his kids learned how he romanced their mother, Haruno Sakura.

Okay, I swear, people, I always do this: I challenge myself by writing a serious drama, realize I need some happiness in my life, and proceed to write a happy story as a side project. EVERY. FREAKING. TIME. It's a bad habit, but maybe I can manage this time since it's summer? I swear, this story was very instantaneous like "Stubborn." I have NO idea where it's gonna lead but this will be easier since it won't be very plot-driven. In my head, this story was meant to be something that is based on character's actions and runs on it.

Now the premises? Well, I love writing stories where people tell flashbacks to each other, which slowly becomes a whole tale tied together. Think of this story format similar to "How I Met Your Mother" TV show. I also did the same thing for my stories "The Way We Are" and "The Tale of the Raven and the Flower" so if you guys have read that story, it's going to be the same style. This time, it's just different story and characters. This story will balance between the future, where the Konoha 12 have kids, and the present when they talk about Sasuke's and Sakura's relationship. I'm not going to tag this as drama or comedy since it can go either way, so it's labeled Romance simply for that reason. Most likely it'll lean towards comedy because it's very natural for me to write, but anything can happen. This isn't meant to keep you on the edge with a cliffy (Which I LOVE doing); it's mainly stories tied together.

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this as well! My main focus will still be "Stubborn" but I'm also doing this because I had the urge and had to release it through writing. Hopefully, I'll be fine since I've balanced different stories as part of the journalism staff, but those were small stories; fanfiction can take a while. Let's cross my fingers and pray for the best!

By the way, how many of you guys actually read my author's notes? Just curious. Because I feel like a loser when I write these LOL

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><p>"Oi, Kimiko, why do we have to deal with this now?" Seventeen-year-old Sousuke scowled. "It's more than a week away."<p>

"It's _only_ a week away, nissan! That's barely enough time!" Kimiko, his sixteen-year-old sister, yelled with her hands on her hips. "Actually, we needed at least a month considering this is _otousan_ we're talking about!"

"Oneechan, what's wrong with otouchan?" asked Kenji, the youngest of them all at five years old, curiously. "Is he sick?"

Kimiko laughed haughtily. "Oh yeah, he's sick with the inability to do anything sweet to okaasan!"

Sousuke moaned impatiently, his eyes changing its attention to the sky lazily. "Well, Kimi, I think it's sweet enough that 'tousan and 'kaasan still do it every weekend-OW! WOMAN HOW DARE YOU ATTACK YOUR FAVORITE BRO-"

Immediately, he gulped at the sight of his sister's red eyes, glaring at him darkly. Here they were, discussing on what to do for their parents' anniversary. To anybody else, this process wouldn't be too hard. All they had to do was make breakfast for their parents, say congratulations, bake a cake, and give them alone time.

Except, these three did not have normal parents. Their mother was the top medic-nin in Konohagakure, if not the whole world, who was also head of the village hospital. Their father was the head ANBU captain, under direct control of the Sixth Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto. Busy people, their parents were. It was amazing that they ever found quality time with their kids, let alone each other. In fact, their parents did not want much from their kids on their anniversary; only the basics.

The basics where their parents preferred if Sousuke, Kimiko, and Kenji didn't come in their room the morning of their anniversary. No, correction: their parents preferred if they didn't come in their room _any_ morning.

Kenji, however, blinked several times in confusion. "Ne, ne, what do otouchan and okaachan do every weekend at night?" He asked, hugging his bunny plush toy even tighter.

Sousuke laughed nervously. "They do 'Mommy and Daddy' things, Kenji! It's nothing serious! Haha!"

He rubbed the bruise slowly forming on his pale forehead, courtesy of his sister's monster strength.

There were just some things he didn't understand how Kimiko could inherit only the dangerous traits of their mother. Sousuke and the rest of his siblings looked practically nothing to their mother, who had beautiful pink hair and jade green eyes. The rest of them had jet-black hair, pale skin, and dark eyes that only changed red upon the Sharingan. Even then, the only one that actually resembled the father perfectly was the youngest, Kenji. As a girl, Kimiko had long black hair, immediately taking her out. While Sousuke's hair was short and spiky, Kenji's spiraled everywhere in the back like a chicken's behind. Exactly like their father.

Like their mother, his sister Kimiko could be quite ferocious when angered. It only looked worse when she had her Sharingan activated, a terrible combination of his parents' genes. Sousuke sighed. She was only a year younger than him and yet Sousuke thought Kimiko used the Sharingan more times in a week than Sousuke ever had in his lifetime. She really did take advantage of their family's infamous kekkei gekkai.

"Look, why can't we just let them do what they do every anniversary? They seem perfectly happy about it," said Sousuke, leaning back against the chair comfortably. "Plus, it takes the edge off of us."

"Because it's not just any anniversary; it's their _20th_ anniversary, niisan!" Kimiko exclaimed. "The big 2-0!"

"I thought people celebrate big at 25th, 50th, 1000th-"

"WHATEVER! THEY NEED IT **NOW**! We need to give them a special moment in their lives!"

"Like give them a door locks so we know when they're gonna do it in order for us to escape the house even faster-" Sousuke stopped again upon Kimiko's glare. Added with the Sharingan again. God, he felt like such a coward, being scared of his younger sister.

"Niisan, we have to do something super romantic for them," Kimiko insisted. "You know otousan _sucks_ at these."

Sousuke paused for a moment, staring blankly at the ceiling, his mouth gawking. A few seconds later, he recovered and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, he does suck."

Puffing his cheeks like a blowfish, Kenji pouted. "Otouchan does not suck. He's the Hokage's strongest ninja! He can do anything!"

"You only say that because you're otousan's favorite," Kimiko muttered bitterly. "When you get older, you're gonna realize that otousan fails in terms of romance."

"I bet you won't say that when Otouchan's here!" Kenji yelled childishly.

Sousuke laughed. "PLEASE! Do you really think we're scared of that old man-?"

"What old man?" A deep voice snarled behind Sousuke.

Sousuke squeaked like a mouse, scurrying away from the armchair to the other side of the living room. Upon watching his son run away in fear, Uchiha Sasuke couldn't help but smirk victoriously at his firstborn. Sasuke was still in his ANBU attire, the black tank and pants, in addition to the gray armor, the boots, and the mask hanging loosely in his hands. One of his hands rested on the hilt of his Kusunagi calmly, causing Sousuke to gulp in fear should his father's grip on the sword tighten and swing at him. The ANBU captain AKA their father had returned home.

"So what are you dweebs up to?" Sasuke interrogated them-ANBU captain style.

Giggling uncontrollably, Kenji ran up to his father, hugging Sasuke's strong legs. "Otouchan! Welcome home!"

Sasuke chuckled. Quickly, he lifted his five-year-old son into his arms, ruffling the boy's hair. "I'm sorry: What were you dweebs and the best little boy in the world up to?" Sasuke corrected teasingly, earning another laugh from Kenji.

Both Sousuke and Kimiko cringed uncomfortably.  
>"I don't get it; Kenji can't even throw a kunai, trips on flat ground, cries every time he doesn't have his stupid bunny," Sousuke complained.<p>

"Yet is still his favorite," Kimiko finished bitterly.

"That's because Kenji still loves me," Sasuke stated coolly, tickling Kenji into a giggling fit. "Unlike you angsty, stupid, spoiled, bratty, teenagers who hate me for everything I do to you two. But really, what are you guys up to?"

Kimiko turned around, arms crossed against her chest. "None of your business, geezer."

"39 does not make me a 'geezer,'" Sasuke replied to his daughter, annoyed.

He observed both Sousuke's and Kimiko's expression, deducting their plans from it. His two teenagers exchanged secret smirks, a rarity in his family. They refused to look at Sasuke in the eye, suggesting it was meant to be kept a secret. He glanced at the calendar hanging by the window, noticing a giant circle during the month. He traced backwards from the circle to today's date: A week before the circled date. He turned to Kenji, the youngest, who currently occupied himself with his favorite bunny toy, Pochi. It was likely that Kenji had no exact idea of what was going on. This was only expected if...realization hit. Sasuke frowned.

"You guys are going to ruin my anniversary."

Both Sousuke and Kimiko released identical snickers.

"PLEASE POPS, WE'RE SAVING IT WITH OUR BEAUTIFUL PLAN!" Sousuke hollered.

"So you guys are gonna ruin it," Sasuke stated sourly.

Kimiko sighed annoyingly. "Oh come on, otousan! Let us do you a favor since you are oblivious to how you fail at being romantic with okaasan!"

Sasuke scoffed. "I do not _fail_ at being romantic with your mother."

"Oh yeah? Show us how romantic you are with okaasan," Sousuke demanded, smirking.

"Well, it would involve your mother coming home, me ripping her clothes off, pinning her to our bed, touching her in _very_ nice places-"

"EW! WHAT KIND OF SICK BASTARD ARE YOU?" Sousuke cried, shielding his ears and eyes from the horrible images he heard and now couldn't help but imagine on instinct.

"Her moaning so loud that Sunagakure knows my name-"

"KEEP YOUR COCK IN YOUR PANTS FOR ONCE, YOU PERVERTED OLD MAN!" Kimiko screeched, her face blushing in embarrassment.

Sasuke grinned evilly at his teenage kids, always knowing how to hit their nerves in the right places. Kenji, however, was innocently playing with Pochi the bunny, completely ignoring the little sneak peek of his parents' sex lives thanks to Sasuke. God, how Sasuke loved this kid. He could make so many perverted jokes with Sousuke and Kimiko, embarrassing them to no end, and Kenji would be cute and naive about everything.

"If you want to be good children, then don't do anything for me and your mother on our anniversary except watch Kenji while you guys are out of the house the whole day," Sasuke suggested calmly. "I prefer you guys don't return until...the morning after."

Sousuke and Kimiko nearly gagged.

"Mou otousan! You're never romantic with okaasan, so we're gonna help you with it!" Kimiko exclaimed. "I see my friends' parents holding hands in the park, buying flowers for each other, having date nights, and-"

"I bet your friends' parents don't have nights as good as we do-"

"ENOUGH! WE GET THAT YOU AND OKAASAN HAVE A VERY WILD SEX LIFE!" Sousuke yelled, beyond pissed. "SEX DOES NOT MEAN YOU ARE ROMANTIC!"

"Otouchan, what's sex?" Kenji asked innocently.

"Oi, you brat! Don't talk about bad things like that in front of your little brother!" Sasuke lectured at Sousuke, secretly priding himself at his manipulation.

Sousuke glared at his father, but only scowled. Only a man like Uchiha Sasuke would be cruel enough to manipulate his own son at the cost of another.

"Besides, why do you guys believe that I'm terrible at romance?" Sasuke inquired, sitting down on his armchair, Kenji still on his lap. "You're mother and I have been peacefully married for nearly 20 years. Why does that make me suck?"

"Because you and okaasan never have date nights," Kimiko started sternly.

"You guys never kiss in front of us," Sousuke added.

"You never buy her gifts except on her birthday."

"Which you forget every year."

"You don't have lunch with her."

"At ALL."

"You've never made dinner for her."

"Not even on Mother's Day."

"Or your anniversary."

"You give terrible dating advices."

"Don't blame me for your low dating life that puts the Uchiha name to shame, boy."

"You told me NOTHING about girls."

"You've never given her any actual presents."

"Except that cursed engagement ring for lord knows why she ever accepted it."

"You idiots wouldn't exist if it weren't for that engagement ring," Sasuke frowned.

"You never do couples activities."

"You guys don't cuddle."

"You guys never do PDA."

"Never dance with her."

"Never do chores for her."

"Are you two done yet?" Sasuke complained. "Who needs romance when your mother and I save it all for our bedroom-"

"NO IT IS NOT!" Kimiko cried.

"Love's more than just fooling around on your king size bed!" Sousuke stated, before his eyes widened in horror. "OH GOD NOW I KNOW WHY THE BED IS SO HUGE!"

"Kenji, please don't turn out like your big brother," Sasuke said in a bored tone to his youngest.

"SHUT UP! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

"Look here," Sasuke began, gaining his children's attention. "As difficult it is to believe, there was a time when I was dating your mother that our bedroom adventures did not exist."

Sousuke's and Kimiko's jaw dropped to the floor. Sasuke had a sweat drop. They really were, genuinely, surprised.

"It was a time when I did simple things to make her believe I was the most romantic man in her world...at the time."

"So why aren't you so 'romantic' anymore?" Kimiko asked, staring down at her father.

"Let's just say that romance was shattered quite a flong time ago," Sasuke answered, slightly irritated.

"How long?" Sousuke asked.

Sasuke paused for a moment, pondering on Sousuke's question. He looked at Kenji, who stared back curiously with his big, black orbs. Then, Sasuke turned to his eldest, Sousuke, staring intensely.

"Sousuke..." Sasuke began. "...How old are you?"

Sousuke glared. "Very funny, otousan."

Sasuke chuckled before resuming his story. "Even though it was difficult at first, trust me when I say that I was damn romantic with your mother back then. And that was why she decided to marry me."

"Otousan? Romantic? PFFF," Sousuke scoffed.

"You're as romantic as a hippo," added Kimiko dryly.

"So otouchan is a hippo?" Kenji quipped.

Sasuke smirked. It was about time his kids learned how he romanced their mother, Haruno Sakura.

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><p>I hope you guys liked it! Yes, Sasuke is acting a bit OOC (God, pervy adult Sasuke, what am I thinking?) But he only does it to annoy his kids. Plus, he's a lot older and married, so we have to expect some kind of change. Otherwise, in his youth, I'm going to keep him relatively the same in the mangaanime. Is it gonna be hard trying to make him romantic and keep in character? Yes, but I'll try. He'll probably end up as a closet romantic, but we'll see. I really need to stop making stories at the instant and actually plan them; it's not good for me.

Anyway, please read and review! I'll appreciate it very much!

PS: Have you guys realized Harry Potter is a cock-blocker in his own series? I mean, in the movies, when Ron and Hermoine have these semi-cute moments in early ones, Harry just JUMPS in and it's not romantic anymore. I saw a tumblr post on it and thought it was really funny. It's probably gonna be Naruto in his own if SasuSaku actually happens. Let's pray for it with Kishimoto!


	2. Unintentionally Jealous

Chapter 1: Unintentionally Jealous

Hey guys! I know I should have updated "Stubborn" first but this idea is really reeling me in. I was super excited that the morning after this story got published, I over 50 new messages in my email about story alerts, favorites, and reviews for this story. I was even surprised that I had 17 reviews for this story on the FIRST chapter only within two days! I've never had more than 10 reviews upon first uploading the story with only one chapter so I feel very proud of myself (Vain much? LOL)!

I'm glad to have positive responses to this story. Makes me even more inclined to do this story. Thanks for supporting this story! For those also reading "Stubborn," I don't have a specific pattern of what I update first. It just depends on what I'm in the mood to write. Hopefully, you guys enjoy this one as well! I'm trying my best to have little to no mistakes, but it's hard because I rush my stories too fast to get it updated instead of taking the time to edit it.

Anyway, enjoy the second chappie! Hopefully, it keeps up with your expectations!

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><p>A teenage girl with long blond hair, twisted into two high pigtails, devoured through the ramen without mercy. Noodle bits splattered everywhere on her whiskered tan face, yet she didn't even care at her un-ladylike behavior. Kimiko could only stare as her best friend wolfed down her third bowl of ramen, sighing.<p>

"Mou Nanako-chan, how do you not get a stomachache from eating all this ramen?" Kimiko asked, though she knew the answer quite well.

Uzumaki Nanako paused, wiping her mouth delicately. She giggled nervously at Kimiko.

"I've had all the training in the world for this, Kimi-chan," Nanako joked. "Plus, Ichiraku's the best place ever!"

Kimiko sighed softly. "Damn, you're just like Naruto-jiji."

Nanako grinned. "So Sasu-jichan was super romantic with Sakura-obachan in the old days? It's so hard to imagine..."

"I know right? He's totally lying!" Kimiko declared. "He didn't even tell us about it! 'Emergency ANBU meeting' my ass."

"But that's so cute!" Nanako squealed, batting her long eyelashes dreamily. "Sasu-jichan must have been those cool, suave guys back then! I bet Sakura-obachan was the luckiest girl in the world those days!"

Kimiko snorted. "More like he blackmailed her somehow to revive our stupid clan."

"Ne, ne, we should go ask my otouchan how Sasu-jichan got Sakura-obachan!" Nanako suggested.

Smiling brightly, Kimiko clasped her hands together in delight. "Sou ya! Sou ya! Ahhh why didn't I think of that? Now all I gotta do is find niisan and Ken-!"

"AHHH KIMI-CHAN! OVER THERE!" Nanako squealed, wide-eyed, pointing over her best friend's shoulder. "SHIKANA-SENPAI IS ON A DATE WITH KIYOSHI-SENPAI!"

"WHAT? NO WAY!" Kimiko gasped, swiftly turning around.

Indeed, Nanako was right. At the tiny cafe across the street was a tall brunette with beautiful cerulean eyes. Her slim tan physique added to her exotic look that easily attracted the teenage male population in this village. Definitely, Nara Shikana was the most beautiful girl in Konoha. She was a year older and used to be on the same genin team as Sousuke before they both became jonin. Though they still remained good friends, it had been a while since Kimiko actually seen her brother talk to Shikana.

Sitting next to Shikana was a tall boy with unruly brown hair, marks on his face to appear like an animal. He wore an obnoxious jacket, fur lining down the hood and the sleeves. Obviously, anybody could tell Kiyoshi was of the Inuzuka clan.

"Ahhh she's so pretty in that dress..." Nanako pouted, a hint of envy in her tone.

"Shikana-senpai is lucky, getting all the boys," Kimiko whimpered playfully. "AND WE'RE FOREVER ALONE!"

"Demo, she doesn't look very comfortable with Kiyoshi-senpai," Nanako noted.

And Kimiko observed. Once again, Nanako was telling the truth. Kimiko noticed while Kiyoshi was talking loudly (supposedly about himself and his dogs), Shikana would simply nod and smile nervously. Her eyes were glance at the side, just waiting for somebody to rescue her. In fact, Shikana looked like she wanted to be out of this date already, if one could call it one.

But Kimiko knew Shikana wouldn't. Not only was Shikana a beautiful girl, but incredibly nice and sweet. She was the epitome of feminine, probably due to the fact that her own mother was Yamanaka Ino, who raised her to fit a very ladylike role. Actually, everybody was more surprised that Shikana was the daughter of the Konoha's laziest strategist. Shikana was much to passive to be Ino's daughter yet too hardworking to be Shikamaru's. Honestly, where did her genes come from?

_Eh? Isn't that..._Kimiko's eyes trailed to the side. She noticed a very familiar figure sitting on a tree branch, his dark orbs staring intensely at the couple's date. Kimiko grinned widely.

Kimiko glanced at Nanako, who also realized the situation. The two girls nodded at each other, reading the other's mind easily. Nanako laid a couple bills on the bar before she and Kimiko disappeared into a puff of smoke. Immediately, they reappeared next to the figure in the tree, hiding their chakra.

Uchiha Sousuke had yet to realize two scheming teenage girls were on the same tree as he was.

"That dress really does fill out Shikana-senpai's curves very well..." Kimiko whispered darkly into her brother's ear. Sousuke nearly fell off the branch. He turned around abruptly, beyond annoyed at seeing Kimiko.

"OI WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?" Sousuke yelled, a tint of pink sneaking to his cheeks.

"AHAHAHA SOUSUKE-NIISAN LIKES SHIKANA-SENPAI!" Nanako teased loudly.

"SHUT UP, YOU DORK!"

"So you just like to creep on pretty girls like Shikana-senpai going on dates?" Kimiko smirked.

Sousuke glared at her. "It's called looking out for your teammate."

"AAHHHH YOU'RE SO CUTE WHEN YOU'RE JEALOUS!" Nanako squealed evilly.

"I. Am. Not. Jealous." Sousuke stated darkly before jumping off of the tree quickly.

"LIES!" Kimiko and Nanako exclaimed simultaneously, before following Sousuke.

Once again, he glared at the girls. "Go away. I rather walk in peace."

"Okay, if you don't want to hear how otousan got okaasan in a-"

"What?" Sousuke said, suddenly interested.

Kimiko grinned. "That's right; Naruto-jiji definitely knows."

Sousuke sighed in defeat. "Fine, call Kenji over and we'll head to Naruto-jiisan's place."

"Aren't you watching Kenji?" Kimiko asked, confused. Sousuke returned the same look.

"I thought _you_ were looking after Kenji..." Sousuke trailed off. Both Uchihas' eyes widened in horror.

"KENJI!"

Watching the two Uchihas scramble around Konohagakure for the youngest, a man attired in the ANBU outfit stood on a nearby tree branch. His dark eyes had seen everything, from his daughter gossiping with his best friend's daughter to his oldest son glaring at the couple's date. Some things really did run in the family.

"Hn...Looks like that idiot boy is actually mine..."

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><p>"I'm sorry, Shikana-senpai," Kimiko apologized. "If we didn't lose Kenji and he bumped into you, you would still be on your date..."<p>

"Iie, it's not a big deal," Shikana replied in a serene tone. "I'll gladly help anybody dear to Sousuke-kun."

"You say it like you're in love with him," Kimiko teased darkly. Shikana blushed but washed it away quickly.

As it turned out, Kenji had wandered throughout the village on his own, armed with only Pochi the bunny. It was amazing how he didn't cry at getting lost. It appeared he didn't even notice he wasn't with his older siblings until night came. Eventually, he bumped to Shikana and she decided to help Kenji find his siblings. Overhearing that Kimiko was last seen heading to the Hokage's mansion, Shikana then proceeded to take Kenji there.

Kimiko smiled in embarrassment. "Thank you. I'm sure if niisan was here, he'd-"

Suddenly, Sousuke jumped at the front door. He looked up to his sister, panic stricken all over his face.

"Kimiko, I couldn't find Kenji anywhere! He wasn't at home! I'm worried that-"

"Ada, Sousuke-kun..." Shikana said softly. Sousuke's eyes widened in disbelief at the sight of his former teammate. Kimiko instantly felt uncomfortable, caught in the middle of the staring contest between Sousuke and Shikana. One had a sincere, deep look; the other, hard and cold.

_I'm such a cockblocker,_ she thought wickedly.

"Ne, ne, niisan! Shikana-neechan bought me an ice cream! It was super, duper yummy!" Kenji exclaimed cheerfully, running up to Sousuke. Sousuke nodded, pushing his little brother gently to the side.

"Shikana, go home," Sousuke muttered, irritated. He didn't even look at her. "Inuzuka isn't a patient guy."

Kimiko saw Shikana's eyes widen for a split second, as if hurt by Sousuke's words. She instantly recovered, smiling sincerely at Sousuke.

"Hai, well..." Shikana said, walking outside the door. Her head turn back, giving Sousuke one last smile before departure. "Oyasumi, Sousuke-kun."

The moment Shikana left, Sousuke felt two hard punches to both sides of his shoulders.

"BAKA! WHY ARE YOU SO MEAN TO SHIKANA-SENPAI?"

"DON'T YOU KNOW HOW MANY BOYS WOULD KILL TO RECEIVE SMILES LIKE HERS?"

"LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"YOU ARE SO UNAPPRECIATIVE NIISAN!"

"YOU SHOULD CHERISH THE GIRL YOU LOVE!"

"OH MY GOD FOR THE LAST TIME, I DON'T LIKE SHIKANA! SHE'S TOO DAMN NICE AND ANNOYING-"

"Wow, Sousuke, you sound just like your father," A warm voice chuckled.

Nanako smiled. "Otouchan!"

Entering the living room with a cup ramen in his strong hands, Uzumaki Naruto, the Sixth Hokage, smiled at the teenagers. Over the years, Naruto's blond hair had grown, his sides longer than the rest, making him resembling his father even more. His face, no longer round from childhood, had sculpted to a masculine form. He was wearing a blue turtleneck and ninja pants sans Hokage cloak. At home, the Hokage was just any regular man, ninja, and father.

Like any little boy, Kenji jumped at Naruto. "Naruto-jiichan! Guess what? Guess what? Shikana-neechan bought me ice cream and it was really cold but it was really yummy and she showed me around and then the ice cream gave me a brain freeze and and and-"

Naruto laughed. "Kenji, are you sure you're teme's kid? Speaking of which, don't tell me you're falling for Shikamaru's little girl, eeehhhh Sousuke?"

Sousuke scowled. "She's just a friend."

"That's what your father said when I caught him spying on your mother with this dude back then," Naruto grinned. He noticed the two girls giggling secretly.

"Oh my god, you WERE spying on Shikana-chan's date?" Naruto asked, ready to burst in laughter.

"It's not _spying_, it's watching over! That damn girl trusts boys too easily!" Sousuke argued back, his cheeks turning pink. "Naive girls aren't my type."

"God, this feels so déjà vu..." Naruto said, shaking his head. "...It's like when Sasuke first got jealous over Sakura-chan..."

"WHOA WHAT WHAT? TELL! NOW!" Kimiko demanded, beyond curious.

Naruto blinked several times. "Eh? Didn't your father tell you how he and your mother got together?"

Sousuke only stared. "They don't tell us anything about their boring lives."

"Except their midnight fun," Kimiko state dryly, feeling the chills go up her spine.

Naruto laughed. "Well, since you're parents' anniversary is coming up, might as well let their best man and friend tell you how your parents started dating."

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><p>I could tell you guys about all the crap of your father returning to Konohagakure, adapting to life again, killing Madara, dealing with his punishment, blah blah blah but let's get to the main point here: How Uchiha Sasuke romanced Haruno Sakura.<p>

That was no easy task. First, as a teenager, your father was a very, very stubborn man. He refused to show any sign of emotions except his infamous glares. Your mother and I were some of the few people he actually had contact with. Otherwise, he was a cold man.

That was until he realized just how popular Sakura-chan was with men.

Like any smart man, Sasuke was not dumb enough to realize how beautiful Sakura-chan had grown over the years. I should know; when he first came back and saw Sakura-chan, he did like a triple-take to make sure this was the same girl on our genin team. But of course, it died after a way and only came back when stupid boys touched our Sakura-chan.

At first, Sasuke just brushed it off. He thought it was just a few, stupid, idiotic boys that dared touched Sakura-chan in our presence. But then, Sasuke scowled everyday because every day there was at least five stupid boys that either: a) asked Sakura out, b) flirted with her, c) proclaimed their undying love for her, or d) attempted to touch her in awkward places. Sasuke was not only annoyed, but just plain confused.

"Oi dobe, what's with Sakura and those losers?" Sasuke asked. I could tell he was trying his best to sound the least bit interested as possible, but let's say this is one of the rare times your father just fails.

"Well teme, when a boy sees a very attractive girl-"

"I get that, dobe," Sasuke scowled his stupid Uchiha scowl. "Why now?"

This was the perfect opportunity to tease him. "It helps that Sakura-chan has a very nice body, kissable lips, big boobies-OW! YO TEME DON'T HIT ME WHEN YOU KNOW IT'S TRUE!"

You know I'm right for once when Sasuke hits me on the head that hard outside of training. Plus, his Sharingan was activated because, well, your mother always knew how to make him go crazy. Even if she doesn't realize it. Now, you kids must remember this was a time when your father used to be his revenge-crazy lunatic and it isn't easy for him to open up. He wasn't calm and relaxed as he is now; Uchiha Sasuke was a very irritated person.

And it went to a new high the moment boys started checking out Sakura-chan. Actually, your father was ten times scarier beating up boys trying to get some with your mother than half his life on the vengeful path of doom.

Like this one time, Sasuke and I were at the training grounds, sparring normally. We were pretty into the fight to the point we pulled out some rasengans and chidoris here and then.

Then, our fight just stops out of nowhere because your paranoid father thought this one dude was trying to reach for Sakura-chan's butt while she was walking towards us. Sasuke immediately pulls out his largest chidori on me so that I flew into the FUCKING lake, sneaks behind that one dude, breaks both his arms, and kicks that poor guy into a tree.

And Sakura-chan didn't even realize what just happened when she turned around, blinking in confusion.

Basically, Sasuke was an SBD ninja: Silent But Deadly. Kinda like a fart.

But your father didn't ask your mother out yet. No, no. Sakura-chan was too oblivious to Sasuke's reactions. Some guy tells her she's pretty? Sasuke cracks his knuckles. A stupid knucklehead flirts with her? Sasuke scowls. Some idiot tries to touch her? Sasuke sends him to the poor hospital. That same idiot tries to get some by Doctor Sakura at the hospital? Sasuke makes sure that same idiot never has kids.

And after all of that, your father still denied any feelings for your poor mother.

BUT WAIT! Enter the stupidest boy in the whole entire universe...Actually, I forgot his name since I just realized how insignificant he is to my life, but let's call him "Taka" for my sakes.

So Taka, this stupid boy, knew very well that Sasuke had gained notoriety for beating the pulp of any stupid boys for trying to do anything with Sakura-chan. Even if Sakura herself didn't realize it yet. Seriously, you wonder how your mother is so smart of everything yet is unbelievable naive to Sasuke's downright jealousy over her.

And Taka even had the guts to ask your mother on a date. Right in front of your father.

And Sasuke probably would have exploded if he didn't hear his future wife's delicate and sweet voice reply with "I'd love to have dinner with you tonight!"

So why didn't Sasuke go on some rampage? Well, according to my amazing theory of "How Uchiha Sasuke Reacts When Haruno Sakura Is Around," should he explode and interrogate her at the spot of why she shouldn't go on a date with stupid Taka, which would be a clear message to the face that Sasuke, indeed, had feelings for said girl. Admitting his feelings for a girl like Sakura-chan meant Sasuke admitting defeat.

And Uchihas never admit that they lost.

And being that your father was not only too arrogant for his own good, I'm going to say he's a coward for not admitting his feelings for that poor girl, so Sakura-chan and Taka went on a date anyway.

But being the closet paranoid jackass he was, Sasuke stalked them in secret the whole entire time. How do I know this? Because I was creeping on Sasuke creeping on Sakura-chan's date. In simple terms: CREEPERCEPTION.

But anyway, I saw Sasuke's emotions explode more times in that one night than his whole entire lifetime. Every time Taka told her a joke and made Sakura-chan laugh? Sasuke got ticked off. Taka staring at Sakura-chan's chest for too long? Sasuke glared his Sharingan as if hoping it would trap the poor boy in sad black flames. Taka attempting to touch Sakura-chan anywhere? Sasuke threw a senbon at Taka's hands and before Taka could see who did it, Sasuke had moved to a different location. And the one thing that irritated Sasuke the most? When Sakura-chan smiled. There was something in his eyes that made him vulnerable, pure, and maybe childish.

It was like Sasuke was truly jealous of Taka. He truly wished he was in Taka's place, making her smile instead. It's only when she smiles that Sasuke's face softens and I see that he truly cares about Sakura-chan.

This was when I figured out why Sakura-chan annoyed Sasuke so much: She made him feel.

All she had to do was unintentionally make Uchiha Sasuke jealous.

After about an hour, I followed Sasuke following Sakura-chan and Taka walking towards the lake, probably the most romantic place for a night date. However, to Sasuke, it screamed that idiot boy planned to take advantage of Sakura-chan.

So your father did like any sane Uchiha would do: Kick poor Taka right into the lake before that poor boy could kiss Sakura-chan and never again did we see him.

This then leads to one of the hugest arguments your parents ever had in my lifetime. I would describe it in detail, but because cute little Kenji is here, let's not expose him to such vulgarity here since well...Sasuke and Sakura-chan can be potty mouths.

But it basically went down like this: Sakura-chan gets angry of Sasuke for being so nosy, Sasuke gets angry at Sakura-chan for going on dates with any loser, Sakura-chan gets angry at Sasuke for thinking low of her, Sasuke gets angry at her for being annoying, and the chain continues. I'm not sure how, but it leads to Sakura-chan yelling at him about returning to Konoha, how things aren't the same anymore, how he's a jerk, how she's stronger than he thinks, how she doesn't know why she's still in love with him, blah blah. Then Sasuke screams at her for changing too much, for always being annoying, for being so stupid, for not being strong enough, for always needing protection, yada yada.

Basically, they're just angry at each other. And they explode at that moment because it's been bottled up for so long, they just can't hide it anymore.

But that's what happens to people so madly in love with each other. They want to be with each other. They yearn for the other. And yet, stubborn people madly in love decide to hold it out. They try to outdo the other, proving that they're the stronger one. They want to prove that they won't give up not on their love, but being the first to actually admit they want to be together. They refuse to look weak and give in. They refuse to allow the other "win" this love game. It's a game no one can win.

And your father refuses to let it continue any longer.

This moment became the first time Sakura-chan beats Sasuke at something. It became the first time I see Sasuke finally let his guard down. Because it's the first time I see Sasuke pull Sakura-chan into a deep kiss, a hand in her hair and the other wrapped around her tiny waist.

"You are mine, Sakura," He whispered harshly into her ears because my ninja skills can easily pick up anytime Sasuke-teme attempts to be romantic. Then they proceed to make-out which is the cue for me to gag and sneak away.

Your father couldn't hide his feelings anymore. He couldn't hide his longing for your mother anymore. He couldn't resist your mother anymore.

He was scared of this one driving thought. This one thought that haunted him. And no matter how times I bugged him why he just scooped Sakura-chan up into a kiss at that instant, he refused to tell me until years later.

When I was your father's best man at your parents' wedding.

Just minutes before your mother walked up to the altar, your father admitted to me why he couldn't hide his feelings from her any longer.

He told me how he often dreamt of your mother's wedding. He never knew why he did; it was probably innate.

He said those dreams were his idea of Sakura-chan's perfect wedding, how he imagined each detail. How he imagined it to be outdoors. How he imagined the sakura trees to be in full blossom. How her close friends would be in tears as they watched her walk down the aisle, probably Kakashi by her side to give her up to the groom. How she would wear the most beautiful dress in the world. How her long pink hair would be tied up into a soft updo, probably some strands sliding out to perfectly frame her face. How her green eyes would sparkle when she reached the altar. How she would have the brightest smile the world would ever see. How he would promise to be at wedding.

Even if it meant seeing her marry another man. And that dream haunted him until their wedding day.

Because your father admitted how lucky he was that in this reality, he was her groom. He was the man she was going to marry. He was the man that promised her eternal happiness. He was the man that was going to make her smile every day. He was going to be the man that she was going to wake up every morning to. And he refused to let anything change.

And when he saw your mother walk down the aisle that wedding day, I swear that was the first time I saw your father truly smile in bliss.

He had finally achieved happiness.

So the night he first kissed your mother, your father had put away his ego, his pride, his nightmares, and his goals, just so he could have your mother for just one moment. Even if it meant that moment could be taken away, your father was willing to risk it. He rather have your mother for just one day than spend years without her by his side.

He never thought that moment would last for more than twenty years.

So for an Uchiha, jealousy is a good thing.

* * *

><p>"And that was how your parents started going out," Naruto finished, grinning successfully.<p>

"Ahhh Sasu-jichan was so sweet! Why can't I have a cute story like that?" Nanako pouted, hugging the couch pillow tighter.

"Don't worry, my little princess! You have all the time in the world to find your Prince Charming!" Naruto encouraged. "How could anybody resist an Uzumaki?"

"Sou ya! Sou ya! You're so cool, otouchan!" Nanako exclaimed. Kimiko and Sousuke only stared. Apparently, their father was right: Uzumaki Naruto made sure his little girl idolized him to no end.

"So, let me get this straight," Sousuke said, still puzzled. "Our father spies on our mother's date, beats the crap out of the other dude, makes out with her, and pretty much proclaims her as his?"

"And that's how they started dating?" Kimiko asked suspiciously.

"Pretty much," Naruto confirmed calmly. "Weird how you and your father love spying on people's dates, Sousuke. You're more like your father thank you think."

Sousuke frowned, displeased with the Hokage's comment.

* * *

><p>Uchiha Sasuke was peacefully reading a book when he heard his front door slam loudly. His black eyes perked, spotting his three kids enter the living room. He groaned. There goes the peace.<p>

"Oi, where have you buffoons been all night?" Sasuke asked. "Did Kenji eat dinner yet?"

Sasuke caught all the kunais thrown directly at his face. He threw them at the corner, confused at Kimiko's and Sousuke's actions. They glared at him, beyond annoyed. Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"What the hell..." Sasuke whispered.

"SOME ROMANTIC YOU ARE!" Sousuke yelled angrily.

"YOU DON'T DEMAND A RELATIONSHIP; YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO ASK THE GIRL OUT LIKE A GENTLEMAN!" Kimiko cried.

"BEING POSSESSIVE IS NOT ROMANTIC, YOU OLD GEEZER!"

"YOU WERE PROBABLY JUST HORNY FOR HER!"

"OVER-POSSESSIVE FREAK!"

"Otouchan! Guess what? Today, I had ice cream, and it was a new flavor but I forgot what it was called, but Shikana-neechan bought it for me and it was really yummy, and she bought one for herself and she let me taste it so when I ate mine and hers together it was super duper good and and-"

"YOU ARE A COWARD!"

"IT'S YOUR OWN DAMN FAULT FOR BEING JEALOUS IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

"AHHHH YOU ARE SO LAME!"

"WHERE THE HELL IS OKAASAN?"

"I NEED TO KNOW WHY SHE MARRIED YOU IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

"She has a late shift at the hospital," Sasuke mumbled. Of course, Sousuke and Kimiko completely ignored him.

"WHY CAN'T YOU GUYS BE NORMAL MARRIED PEOPLE?"

"WHY ARE YOU EVEN OUR FATHER?"

"I HATE YOU!"

"YOU RUINED MY CHILDHOOD!"

And with that, Sousuke and Kimiko marched upstairs and slammed their door to their respective room shut, leaving a very confused Sasuke and little Kenji rambling about ice cream.

"What the fuck was that all about?" Sasuke asked himself.


	3. Waking Up First

Chapter 2: Waking Up First

YES I KNOW I SHOULD HAVE UPDATED "STUBBORN" FIRST! But like I said earlier, I'm just IN DA ZONE for this story! Of course I'm still working on my other one and I just finished writing the chapter, but I'm in the middle of editing it. Meanwhile, to take a break from that story, I started rambling like crazy with this one. I'm still amazed by the response. I'm glad you guys enjoyed my jokes. For this chapter, it's going to take a slightly dramatic turn. Also, it's really long. Anyway, for the rest of the chapters, here's how the format goes: the kids go through a situation in their lives, find somebody that has witness Sasuke and Sakura's romantic moments, and then proceed to tell them a story. That's why it takes a while to get to the actual SasuSaku story. However, I really want to emphasis on the kids here too since I rarely did that with my other stories. I'm starting to really like the kids I wrote here.

Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

><p><em>poke-poke-poke-poke<em>

Sasuke let out a deep growl into his pillow, but his eyes refused to open.

_poke-poke-poke-poke_

It still wouldn't give up, but so wouldn't Sasuke. He rolled up so that his face was buried straight into the pillow. He groaned.

_poke-poke-poke-poke_

"Otouchan? Otouchan?" piped a sweet, innocent voice.

_poke-poke-poke-poke_

Sasuke refused to give in to the little poking machine. Damn, his son knew how to poke him, and he was only five. Freaking five years old. Sasuke prided himself at having a very well-built body at nearly 40, yet his muscular shoulder could only take so much poking from Kenji.

"Otouchan? Otouchan?" Kenji whispered loudly. "Okaachan said breakfast is ready. She said to come down."

Sasuke smirked. He wasn't going to lose to this little squirt. Even if he liked him more than the other idiots.

"Ne, ne otouchan? Okaachan said if you don't get up, Pochi's gonna eat all your food," Kenji giggled.

Scowling, Sasuke threw the pillow over his head, blocking any sun rays from threatening his morning sleep.

"I'll rip Pochi apart if he touches my food," Sasuke mumbled, hoping Kenji wouldn't hear the threat.

Of course, Sasuke knew never to underestimate his youngest son, especially when it concerned his stupid bunny. Because the next thing Sasuke knew, he felt a pair of tiny feet jumping up and down aggressively on his bare back, prompting Sasuke's head to shoot up immediately. Sasuke could have sworn he heard his spine crack, thanks to his own son Kenji. To think he had been on numerous ANBU operations without a scratch yet could barely detect his five-year-old son attack him at that moment. He was seriously getting old.

"WHY WOULD YOU EVER HURT POCHI?" Kenji whined, tears streaking down his face as he continued to jump up and down on his father's back. "YOU MEANIE! I'M GOING TO TELL OKAASAN! OKAASAN!"

"Okay, okay, I'm up! I'm up!" Sasuke moaned, sitting up.

He rubbed his shoulders, wincing. He glanced up at Kenji, who sat crossed-legged a foot away from his father. Kenji clutched his bunny plushie tightly, fear written in his eyes. Sasuke grinned evilly inwardly. He assumed Kenji was scared that his father was gonna yank Pochi out of his hands and rip it right in front of the poor boy's eyes. Kenji was still bursting in tears from the revelation, staring at his father wide-eyed in horror.

Sasuke chuckled lightly. He picked up his son into his lap, ruffling his black hair. "Kenji, I'm not gonna kill your bunny. Now what's it gonna take for you to stop crying?"

"Say 'sorry' to Pochi!" Kenji demanded childishly, pulling up Pochi right in front of Sasuke's face.

Sasuke glared at him son, cringing. _This brat is testing my masculinity..._

Sasuke grabbed Pochi the bunny gently, staring at it awkwardly. He sighed.

"Sorry Pochi," Sasuke apologized, more like growled. However, it was enough to win his son's happiness again as Kenji smiled widely.

"Pochi forgives you, otouchan! Ne, ne, can you teach me how to throw shurikens today?" Kenji pleaded eagerly. "And then, we could play hide and seek, but you can't use clones because that's cheating! And then, then, can you take me out for more ice cream? I want to go back to that one place Shikana-neechan took me but I forgot what it's called! Oh, can we go to the park today? I wanna play with the birds again! Oh yeah, yesterday morning, I was playing with Chihiro-chan and then this bird pooped on her head and she started crying and and-"

"Okay, we can do all of that if you let me get out of bed and eat, Kenji," Sasuke stated tiredly. Seriously, where the hell did his kid learn to talk so fast and so much? Kenji basically had ten thoughts before he could even finish his sentence. But Sasuke could only smile. Kenji was indeed a good bundle of joy.

Kenji nodded excitedly before jumping off the bed and racing toward the kitchen. Slowly, Sasuke stood up, staring outside of the window. It was yet another bright morning, his eyes narrowing from the sunlight. He turned around and walked toward the door. Upon exiting his room, his eyes caught upon a familiar figure leaning against the doorframe, glaring at Sasuke.

"Oi, shouldn't you be downstairs, punk?" Sasuke asked Sousuke, raising an eyebrow.

Sousuke frowned.

"You know, when I was Kenji's age..." Sousuke started sternly. "...and fell off a tree, bawling my eyes out, you told me that if I wanted to be a ninja, then I shouldn't cry."

Sasuke kept a stoic face. "Maybe you shouldn't have climbed that stupid tree in the first place, dumbass."

"You made me climb that tree for training, old man."

"What does this have to do with anything? Go downstairs and so we can join your mother for breakfast," Sasuke hurried downstairs, refusing to look at his grumpy son.

"Okaasan left already; something came up at the hospital," Sousuke muttered.

He saw his father's steps falter slightly at the stairs, a hand clutching the railing too loosely. Sasuke's long dark bangs prevented his son from ever seeing his expression. A sigh escaped from Sasuke before he continued downstairs at the normal pace. Sousuke followed behind, watching his father's every movement.

"You know, I think it would be nice for you to wake up earlier than okaasan for once and make her breakfast for your anniversary," Sousuke suggested, crossing his arms. "Instead of sleeping in until she's done cooking."

"Hey, you don't tell me how to run my anniversary, and your mother and I will keep it down to foreplay in the morning," Sasuke remarked evilly, forcing his son to throw at least ten kunais at Sasuke's face. Luckily, Sasuke caught them all between his fingers. However, it didn't change Sousuke's glare. Oh, how he loved to torture his eldest.

Entering the kitchen, Sasuke saw his other two children sitting around the breakfast table, eating their pancakes in peace. They greeted each other softly as their father and brother took their respective seat. Sousuke glanced at the window, noticing a messenger bird on the perch. He reached for the tiny scroll tied to the bird's feet and unrolled it. His eyes scanned the writing, scowling at it. With his bare hands, Sousuke grabbed half a pancake and threw it into his mouth greedily. Before he marched to the front door, Sasuke stopped him.

"Where do you think you're going, you little goon?" Sasuke asked abruptly.

"I'm needed for an interrogation," Sousuke replied quickly, pulling up his boots. "For that one spy we caught last week."

"Hn," Sasuke said as he bit through another piece of the pancakes. "Oi, Sousuke, don't-"

The door slammed shut before Sasuke could finish his sentence. The Uchiha patriarch sighed before his eyes met with his daughter's.

"What?" He asked in a monotone. Kimiko only stared at him smugly.

"Just realizing that as long as I can remember, okaasan always gets up before you to make breakfast," Kimiko observed in a disappointed tone. "And you just sleep in all the time."

Sasuke grinned softly. Ah, there were some things he rather keep a secret from his children.

* * *

><p>"That's enough, Uchiha," Ibiki said sternly, placing a hand on the teenager's shoulder. "You're gonna wear your Sharingan out."<p>

Sousuke nodded. His red eyes closed slowly as he took in a deep breath. Then, they slowly opened again, his eyes replaced by black orbs. He felt sweat beads trailing down his forehead, but he didn't wipe them away. His eyes were too concentrated on the captured spy, a man around his late-forties, before him, chained to a chair. Sousuke had just placed the man under a genjutsu, hoping for the spy to reveal information subconsciously. Unfortunately, every time the spy refused anything, Sousuke had to resort to mind tortures directly.

The spy's eyes burst wide open, red veins threatening to pop within the whites. Sweat drenched the spy's head as he took heavy, yet uneven breaths. Sousuke frowned.

"I did too much, didn't I?" Sousuke asked Ibiki calmly.

The head interrogator nodded. "Some extremes are necessary to gather information. You'll go through much worse as you grow older, Uchiha."

"Doesn't explain why you haven't retired yet, sir," Sousuke noted.

He learned to take Ibiki's words seriously. As old and aging the interrogator was, Ibiki was very realistic in the realms of torture. Just as the two were about to exit the interrogation room, a malicious cackle escaped from their captive.

"That Sharingan...The Uchiha name..." The spy sniggered throughout, almost maniacally. "...so you must be Uchiha Sasuke's brat."

Sousuke tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword. His dark eyes narrowed at the captive. "And?"

Another cackle. "You're not up to par with your father when it comes to torture; he really knew how to destroy a ninja from the inside. He learned so many things from Madara..."

"Ignore him," Ibiki ordered, but he could obviously see the red and black mixing in Sousuke's eyes.

"So who's the whore your father fucked with to have you?"

Within a second, the captive felt cold metal plunged dangerously close to his neck, his eyes widening at the sight of the Sharingan so up close.

"PUT THAT SWORD DOWN, UCHIHA!" Ibiki demanded angrily.

Hesitantly, Sousuke obeyed, removing his sword from the spy's neck. He stared at the spy, his eyes mixed with anger and disgust. But not entirely directed at him.

"Another stunt like that and you're off the mission, Uchiha!" Ibiki threatened sternly, grabbing Sousuke by the shoulder so that they faced each other. "You want to be ANBU? Control your emotions!"

Sousuke threw his sword back in the sheath, scowling. The next thing Ibiki knew, he saw the Uchiha teen leave the room abruptly followed by a loud noise as the door shut. Ibiki sighed.

_This boy acts more and more like his father everyday._

* * *

><p>An old man climbed up the stairs to the top of the Hokage Tower, a dark mask covering the bottom half of his face. Wrinkles were threatening to escape from his mask, webbing around his eyes and forehead. He wore an oversized, blue happi jacket. He opened the door to the rooftop, his nose still buried in the infamous pink book.<p>

He paused his reading when his dark eyes noticed a dark-haired teenager sitting a couple feet from the entrance. The boy was staring probably at nothing specific unless one counted dead space. However, his eyes were profoundly disturbed.

Now that he thought of it, Hatake Kakashi did remember witnessing a certain Uchiha boy storm out of the interrogation room.

Kakashi tucked his pink book under his shoulder, making his way toward Sousuke. He stood behind him, smiling to himself that the boy had yet to realize his presence.

"Yokozo, Sousuke-kun."

Kakashi thought Sousuke was going to fall off the roof out of pure shock. Sousuke whipped his head around, extremely horrified at the sight of Kakashi. Soon, he recovered from the initial shock, sighing loudly.

"God Kakashi-jii, shouldn't you be doing...whatever crap Elders do?"

"And shouldn't you be on a date with Nara's little girl?" Kakashi teased, earning a cold glare from Sousuke. The old man chuckled heartily.

"How many times have people told you how much alike you and your father are?"

Sousuke frowned.

"I'm nothing like my father," Sousuke snarled. Kakashi could clearly hear the disgust in the boy's tone.

"You know you're father isn't as bad as you perceive him to be," said Kakashi. "He's only tough because he loves you."

"I don't give a crap if he drilled me like crazy as a baby," Sousuke scoffed. "Their anniversary is coming up and the old man is being lazy as ever about it."

"That's because your father is a closet romantic," Kakashi explained, sitting next to Sousuke. "He likes to do things for your mother privately, away from people's eyes. Actually, your mother doesn't even realize it until he goes paranoid. He showers your mother with love through the simplest gestures."

"Kakashi-jii, sex does not count."

"I wasn't talking about sex, you perverted little boy," Kakashi taunted mercifully. "For example, your father has this very cute habit of always waking up before your mother."

Sousuke scowled. "Yeah right; he always sleeps in so okaasan has to make him breakfast."

"I would be too if I was up all night watching my wife sleep, hoping nobody ever harms her."

At this point, Sousuke's eyes widened to the size of golf balls. "That ain't true...right?"

Underneath his mask, Kakashi grinned wickedly. "Let's just say when my two students started dating, it's only right for me to spy on their...nightly adventures."

* * *

><p>Your parents had only been dating for a few months, yet they already made the big decision to move in with each other. They had rented this tiny apartment that I'm sure was very cozy and sweet for a young couple like them. It took them probably about three days to move in all their furniture, tools, items, and bed into the new apartment. It was the first thing they owned together. So obviously after a day of hard work, they naturally fell asleep on their big bed-no, Sousuke, it was not for sex. It was big because your clan is so filthy rich that your father could afford practically anything at the time. Spoiled teenager he was.<p>

As it was my duty to preside over my students' dating lives, I took the initiative to make sure they weren't doing anything appropriate just yet. Tension between Sasuke and the Elders had yet to die down, so the least they wanted to worry about was Sasuke having a child. Of course, when I landed on a tree and watched them through the window, I was proud that your parents were not fooling around. Instead, they slept peacefully next to each other, Sasuke's arm wrapped around Sakura's stomach. Her back was pressed against his chest and I couldn't help but think how cute they were at the moment. Only a boy taught under the powerful Hatake Kakashi could know such a romantic move. I was about to take out my ninja camera when I realized something odd:

Your father was not sleeping.

His eyes were still wide open and I was afraid he had noticed my presence. But upon closer inspection, I realized his eyes were concentrated on only one thing: Sakura.

Mind you, it was probably around two in the morning when I decided to spy at them, yet it looked like your father had barely blinked. I watched him watch your mother sleep peacefully, breathing softly. There was something different in your father's eyes that were rare in public. I'm pleased to say that in his eyes, I saw comfort, peace, happiness, and sincerity that usually were never there. At the same time, I could clearly see the longing, the fear, the regret, and the vulnerability that also was rarely in Sasuke's eyes. I didn't know at the time why he stayed awake all night: to take comfort in her or to torture himself for his wrongdoings.

And I know he didn't have a minute of sleep that night. The next morning, I saw him covered in dark circles. Yet he brushed it off.

I checked up on them every night for a week, wondering if Sasuke still does it every night. I was pleased and disappointed to be correct. Your father still refused to sleep in your mother's presence, only able to watch her silently. He'd probably whisper her name a few times, but never loud enough for her to hear. Maybe he thought every night would be the last with her.

The morning was the worst part. Every morning, your father would get up before your mother even opened her eyes. I'm not sure why, but maybe he was still punishing himself. Punishing himself for betraying the village, for causing so much harm to Sakura, for forcing her to endure the pressure of being with a former traitor. Maybe he didn't think he deserved waking up to her eyes every morning. Or that when she did wake up, she would leave him. Sasuke was naive; he should have realized what this did to Sakura.

Every morning your mother woke up, I could see the disappointment in her eyes of not waking up the boy she loves so much. She woke up on his bed, alone, practically every morning. But then she would shake it off, smile, and meet him up at the breakfast table. She would ask him why he looked so tired, if he got any sleep last night, if something was wrong with him. Before she had her panic attacks, Sasuke would tell her he was fine, that she was just overreacting, and that they needed to get to training or work or whatever they did.

I would check up on them periodically, hoping their little routine had died out. It was doing more harm than good to them, no matter how sweet it was. Unfortunately, it never ended. Sasuke still stayed up all night, watching her.

It didn't end until almost a year later.

Sasuke had just returned from this one super-dangerous, life-threatening, war potential ANBU mission that I can't remember exactly what it was about, even though I'm pretty sure I went on the same mission with him. He was beyond exhausted, I can tell you that. Being how awesome I am, I still took the time to see how Sasuke could still handle his mini routine at this rate. I sat up at the tree, watching Sasuke and Sakura. He fell instantly on the bed, breathing heavily. She refused to go to sleep unless he did, which he argued against it. So he pulled her into his arms again (At this point, I was wondering where the hell did Sasuke learn how to be so suave...Oh, wait, from me. Heh). He said goodnight and they both closed their eyes.

Only for your father to ruin it and wake up just minutes later.

Except, this night was different. During this night, there was no more comfort or peace anymore in Sasuke's eyes. Fear dominated it. Regret spilled everywhere. And so, he clutched her tighter that night, burying his head into her pink hair. He kissed her forehead gently (Oh my god, Uchihas know how to kiss) and tucked strands behind her ear. For a moment, I thought he was going to leave her again for some stupid reason like leaving the village for her protection because of some random threat that I'm pretty sure happened on that mission but I can't recall because my old age is destroying my memory. But he doesn't. Instead, your father holds your mother tightly, and whispered the words that he could never tell your mother until his proposal.

"Sakura...I love you."

And then, probably for the first time, Sasuke closed his eyes and fell asleep, his breathing mimicking Sakura's.

The morning was very interesting. But, your father didn't agree with me.

You see, this morning was the first time your mother woke up before him. I could see the content in her eyes as she woke up to her love sleeping peacefully. She kissed him on the lips, but he didn't waver one bit. She sighed peacefully. She must have assumed your father was tired from the mission, because she got out of bed and went to do her daily morning routine.

And about an hour later, I discovered why your father tortured himself so hard every night.

Because when he woke up that morning, only to find that there was no Sakura next to him, his eyes immediately widened, horror written all over. His face paled, almost making him appear ghost-like. He sat up abruptly, breathing heavily. He scanned around the room, frantically searching for something or someone in this case.

"Oh no..." He breathed, and he sounded like a child scared of the dark.

Immediately, he threw his covers to the side and jumped out of bed. He ran outside the door, screaming, "SAKURA!"

"Eh, Sasuke-kun?" I heard Sakura call for in a worried tone. Sasuke must have heard it too, because he darted straight to the kitchen. There, he was shocked to see Sakura, a bowl of pancake mix in her arms. Still in his house. Still in his presence. Still in his life.

And Sasuke couldn't help but stare at her, wide-eyed, debating how it was still possible for her to still be here probably. He looked distraught, and I assure you, it wasn't from the mission. You see, Sasuke had been living this one nightmare for his whole life. One that only a boy like him could only have with a past like his. A past that included those close to him always leaving him, especially through death.

Worried as ever, Sakura threw the bowl on the kitchen counter, rushing straight to Sasuke. She cupped both her hands on his cheek, scanning him carefully.

"Ne, Sasuke-kun, what's wrong? What happened? You don't look so well," Sakura asked, her voice startling. "Sasuke-kun, your face is heating up. I think you might have a fev-"

But Sakura never did finish her sentence. You father had pulled your mother into a tight embrace, wrapping his arms around her head and waist. He slammed her face into his chest as his face nuzzled into her neck (Haha, Sasuke "nuzzled." Oh I'm so clever. Must sound awkward, doesn't it, Sousuke?). But he hugs her like she's going to slip out of his hold any moment. His fingers tremble, hesitating whether she was safer to let go or not. But your father has been battle a war inside his mind and heart for so long.

Because for as long as he can remember, he has constantly lost people he loved. It had made your father cold and cynical for a time. And that was why he always hesitant to show any feelings with your mother. He fears losing her. He fears the pattern will never end. Because your mother used to be the only thing he had left in his life. And should she disappear for any reason, I'm afraid your father would have gone berserk. He would have no reason to live; he would just survive like a vegetable.

And that was why he stayed up every night, just watching her. He was scared that at night, somebody would try to take her away from him. He feared that his weakness and Sakura were one and the same. That his enemies would discover this immediately. That they would use her against him. That they were going to hurt her in order to hurt him. And your father would have been willing to give her up if he hadn't loved her so deeply.

Your father is not stupid, Sousuke. He knows how much your mother loves him. He knows how much your mother has sacrificed for him. And he knows how much it would hurt your mother if he ever left her again. That was why your father never left Konoha again; he stayed for her. He stayed because as much as he rather keep your mother safe and happy, he knew that was only possible if he was around to make her safe and happy.

Because your father was confident that if he was going to protect her, it was best to be there by her side when she needed him.

And your mother realized this too, because she started crying into his shirt. She doesn't receive this much love from Sasuke usually, so she can't help but cry. She understands what he's been through, so she cries for him. Now she knows that he has lied to her every morning when she asked him if he ever slept or not. But she forgives him, because she knows now he did it out of love. And she knows just how much truly Sasuke loves her from this simple gesture. She just wishes to erase Sasuke's pain. Because by erasing his pain would your mother be finally happy.

So she looked up to him and kissed him softly before she spoke.

"Sasuke-kun, please know that nothing's going to happen to me. I'm not going to leave you after loving you for so many years. I'm strong enough to defend myself and I know you will do anything to protect me," Sakura started, her voice cracking. "So please...you don't have to do so much for me. All I ask is for you to forgive yourself, Sasuke-kun."

And he takes your mother's words to heart. Because after that cute little "awww" moment between my lovely students, I find that every night Sasuke does sleep peacefully next to her. I find that he does smile in his sleep because she smiles in his arms. And I find that they can do pretty naughty things after that incident. And I find that when Sasuke wakes up, he lingers in the bed, waiting for Sakura to wake up. And I find that when she does wake up, they both smile and kiss each other.

And if he ever does end up staying up all night because old habits are hard to break, she tells him to sleep in more, that she'll still be around when he wakes up. And he nods. But there is just one habit he'll never break:

Your father will always wake up before your mother. Because every morning, all your father wants from your mother is to wake up next to her smiling every day for the rest of his life.

And I would have checked to make sure he keeps up like this if he didn't chidori me so that I flew straight into the Hokage Monument when I caught them fooling around the morning after he proposed to your mother.

There are just some things I regret teaching your father.

* * *

><p>"So don't be too hard on your father, Sousuke," Kakashi reminded. "He only likes to be romantic with your mother when nobody else is around."<p>

Sousuke still stared at the sky. Kakashi didn't know if the young boy was still angry or not, but he knew that Sousuke had taken in every word. The effects were starting to take on him. Sousuke's eyes were softening, but the grip on his sword's hilt was still tight.

And he sees the result of being the eldest son of Uchiha Sasuke.

Kakashi laid a hand on Sousuke's shoulder, gaining his attention.

"I know it's hard to accept, Sousuke, especially with the pressure of being the oldest son for a nearly extinct clan," Kakashi started warmly. "But don't ever push yourself because you are an Uchiha. Don't push yourself to please your father. I know deep inside, that's the least on his mind. He knows how you feel.

"However, Sousuke, you can't deny that you and your father and more alike than you think."

Sousuke rolled his eyes. "Kakashi, you are not the first person to tell me that."

"Because it's true," Kakashi chuckled. "But let me correct it on behalf on everybody: You are just like your father when he was your age. The drive to be stronger, the need to push yourself, the expectations of what an Uchiha is, extreme training, the denial of feelings to the girl you love-"

"Kakashi-jii..." Sousuke growled.

"The sudden annoyance when teasing an Uchiha about girls," Kakashi continued. "The lack of knowledge about girls, I could write a book on how similar you and your father are. It shouldn't be a bad thing, Sousuke."

Sousuke nodded, finding himself picturing his father as a teenager like him.

* * *

><p>"Ne, Uchiha-san, isn't your anniversary coming up? Your 20th, right?"<p>

A woman with long pink hair tied up into a bun glanced to the side. She had beautiful jade-green eyes although she was 39, she looked like she never aged past 25. She had just finished writing down forms for several patients, her attention taken away by a co-worker.

Uchiha Sakura smiled. "Yes, it is."

"Well, you've been working so much at the hospital," her co-worker noted. "I thought you would give yourself time off to prepare."

"Don't worry, my husband understands that the hospital is busier these days," Sakura replied. "Besides..."

Her green eyes turned to the photo frame standing next to her. Within the frame was a picture of her and Sasuke on the day of their wedding. She was wearing a stunning, form-fitting white dress, a bouquet of sakura blossoms in her hands. Sasuke had worn a classic black tuxedo, making him look his handsomest that day. In the picture, he had his arms around her tiny waist so that he pulled her up right against him. In the picture, he had leaned in the last second just as the photographer took the picture. Sakura had giggled because when the picture came out, it appeared as if Sasuke was leaning in for a kiss. And he couldn't capture it in time, so that it remained frozen in the form of a picture. But it didn't matter. Sakura always loved this picture.

Because on that wedding day, she truly felt it was the first time she saw Sasuke smile at her lovingly.

"I trust that my husband can surprise me."

* * *

><p>Sasuke sneezed loudly. He wiped his nose with the back of his hand, staring up into space.<p>

"Ah, otouchan, do you have a cold? OH MY GOD ARE YOU GOING TO DIE! DON'T DIE!" Kenji screamed like a maniac. Sasuke laughed.

"It's okay, Kenji, now let's get back to training," Sasuke chuckled, picking up the kunais on the ground. Then, his eyes widened.

"Ah, the anniversary is in less than a week..." Sasuke realized, talking to himself while Kenji ran around throwing kunais at giant rocks. "...I should come up with something soon..."

Sasuke paused for a moment, staring at his son. Kenji ran towards the rock, a kunai in hand, only to suddenly trip on the flat ground, face flat. In seconds, Sasuke could hear whimpering from Kenji.

He washed the former thought away. "Nah, I have all the time in the world for that."

* * *

><p>Okay, here's some commentary I like to say about this chapter. I would like to do commentary, but if you guys don't want it, then don't read this.<p>

Basically here, you guys just got a sneak peek of the father-son relationship between Sasuke and Sousuke. Aside from SasuSaku, that's the relationship I'm going to emphasize on the most throughout this story. I just feel like it's so important to imagine what it must be like to be the first son of Uchiha Sasuke, the one that really has the pressure to continue the clan. Sasuke is a bit OOC being more mellow and perverted than usual, but this is him as an adult who has found peace at last.

Basically, that's all I can offer for commentary right now. Thank god you guys enjoy this story!


	4. Tanabata

Chapter 3: Tanabata

Hey guys! Sorry that it's been a while! So I have a favor to ask you guys!

I'm working on my senior project with my best friend and it would really mean a lot to me if you guys check out our tumblr blog "Ask Lily Bee." fanfiction won't allow us to post on a link on the chapters, but it's on my profile page. If you guys could check that out and ask questions, it would be great! We're focusing on psychology/sociology on anonymity and what actions people usually take under anonyity. I could go on, but you guys all wanna head to the story. So if you have a tumblr, please check it out! It's an advice blog run by my best friend and it's for our senior project! Help us promote it or get people to ask us questions! I would really, really appreciate it!

Oh yeah, I was reading through my old stories when I just started fanfiction. OMG when I read it, I just realized how horrible writing it was. I mean, my characters were super OOC, the plot made no sense, and the grammar was so wrong. It's crazy how much my writing has changed over the years.

ON TO THE STORY!

FYI: Tanabata is basically Japan's "Valentine's Day"

* * *

><p>A young couple sat at the cafe, the man's arm around the woman's waist. He leaned to her face, their noses touching each other. They smiled at each other, their eyes staring at no one else. They looked at each other lovingly, like they were made perfectly for each other. He lifted up a hand to her cheek, stroking it gently. He whispered something to her, causing her to giggle sweetly. She wrapped his hands around his neck and pulled him in for a soft kiss. That soft kiss turned into a full-on make-out.<p>

Kimiko wanted to cry.

"Mou, why can't that be me?" Kimiko whimpered to herself, sitting a few tables from the happy couple in the same cafe. She sipped her smoothie, making a strangling noise in the process. "How did that Ami bitch get a man before I did...She's totally using him...If only that could be me and H-"

"Oh, Kimiko, what are you doing here by yourself?" asked a familiar, deep voice.

Kimiko nearly choked on her smoothie. She pounced her chest multiple times in her attempt to recover quickly. She flipped her head around, flushed at the sight of the least expected person on her mind. She laughed nervously, scratching her head.

"Ahahaha...K-K-Koji-kun...K-K-Konichiwa..." She greeted, more like stuttered.

In front of her was a teenage boy with long brown hair tied into a ponytail. He stood tall at nearly six feet and wore the traditional flak jacket with normal ninja attire. He had pale, white eyes and light skin.

"Ah, Kimiko, are you okay? You're really red," Koji asked, slightly confused.

"Ahahaha I"m okay! Very fine! Just really hot right now? Ya know? Hahahaha..."

Honestly, Hyuuga Koji was way too handsome for Kimiko. It sucked that he was a year older than her, meaning he got along too well with her brother. And knowing her brother Sousuke, he would do anything in his power to prevent any type of relationship. The one thing she learned from being an Uchiha was that it sucked being a girl; all the boys were protective over you. Even the ones that weren't in your family. She was glad there were only two monsters at the moment; Kenji still believed in cooties.

"Okay..." Koji looked at her, unsure of her answer. "Well, mind if I join you for a moment? It's been a while since I've spoken to you."

"I know right! I've just been so busy for the jonin exams!" Kimiko's eyes instantly sparkled, her cheeks the color of tomoatoes. _OH MY GOD is Koji implying what I think he's implying? No, don't overreact, that's such a low, fangirl move...but it's SOOO TRUE! He's always training with niisan and I don't get to talk to him much and OH MY GOD-_

"Kimiko, are you sure you're okay? You don't look so well," Koji asked again, placing a soft hand on her forehead. Her whole face flushed. Koji's eyes widened.

"Your face is heating up! Do you have a fever?"

Immediately, she slapped his hand away from her forehead, stepping backwards. She glanced at him shyly. "I-ah-f-f-forgot my purse back home! Y-Y-Yeah I-I'll catch up with you later, Koji-kun! Ja na!"

And within seconds, she ran away from the cafe, leaving a very confused Hyuuga boy behind.

"But your purse is right here..."

* * *

><p>The moment she reached to the lake, Kimiko forced out an exasperated sigh. She fell on her butt, feeling the grass graze her skin. Her black orbs stared into the crystal lake, intaking of its natural beauty. How romantic it would be to have a date here...<p>

She buckled her knees together, pulling them closer to her so that her chin rested on them. Her eyes softened as she sighed again.

"Mou, why am I so awkward with boys?" She asked herself in a low voice. "Other girls can flirt and talk to their crushes easily, and I just overreact and can't do anything except beat them up. I'm such a turn-off."

She found a pebble on the ground, snatched it, and threw it in the lake, creating soft ripples. That was her: the pebble. If she left boys alone, she would be fine. But when she did enter into the realm, it disturbed the peace.

Kimiko never really did get into boys until much later in life. As an Uchiha, she was drilled into becoming a ninja. That was her main goal. Growing up with Uchiha Sasuke, her father nonetheless, expectations were implied that she trained frequently to become the best of her class. Obviously, she did. Not only was she the best girl in the class, but she could easily beat up all the boys. Her father did say her expert chakra control was due to not only because girls fared better in that skill area, but because she was her mother's daughter. Because of that, Kimiko was able to possess monstrous strength, just like her mother. At first, her father fed her ideas that boys were nasty and she should stay away from them, which she did. A daddy's girl, she was back then. She remembered admiring him as a little girl.

Maybe it was because she skipped that early stage of schoolgirl crushes that she found herself in this strange predicament today. Even Nanako, her best friend, used to have a tiny crush on her brother as a little girl (Thank god it was long gone, because their father could not stop teasing Sousuke about it). And Kimiko? Well while other girls dreamed of having a boyfriend, Kimiko was much too occupied trying to learn the clan's secret techniques. She blamed this on being raised by her ANBU captain father.

Boys as crushes just weren't natural from her. Aside from Nanako, Kimiko didn't have many girlfriends. She mainly hung with the boys, possibly due to her brother's influences. Sousuke's friends were always nice to her, treating respectfully as his little sister. And she treated them the same way; just as Sousuke's friends.

Until Hyuuga Koji started becoming extremely handsome and all she could do now was run away creepingly every time he tried to talk to her like the old days.

And it didn't help that nearly every girl her age was dating some loser jerk. That was probably the only thing they had beaten Uchiha Kimiko at. Not that she should be ashamed of it, really.

"Okaasan told me not to let boys faze me now..." Kimiko pouted. "I mean, I'm already a chuunin! I go on A-rank missions! I can do chidori four times a day! I'm a freaking Uchiha! That should be enough, right?"

_And I still can't get a boyfriend. Boys don't even see me like that..._Kimiko's face suddenly fell. _Even Nanako-chan has lots of admirers, and no boy has ever asked me out..._

"WHY AM I SO PATHETIC?" Kimiko cried to no one in particular as she laid back to the ground, sighing loudly.

And she probably would have been able to relax peacefully if she didn't hear that familiar voice that was the cause of her sad love life.

"Oi, don't you have any friends, tartface?" taunted her father. "Or do you just scream about how pathetic you are like a loner?"

She opened her eyes, immediately regretting it. She looked up to see her father standing next to her, Kenji sitting atop of his shoulders, too busy eating a delicious chocolate ice cream cone.

In five seconds, Sasuke caught the second wave of kunais thrown at him today. With a bored expression, he looked to his daughter, who now stood a few feet away from her, her sharingan activated. She looked at him fiercely.

"AGH WHY ARE YOU SO UNROMANTIC WITH OKAASAN? DO YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW THIS WOULD AFFECT MY VIEWS ON LOVE AND BOYS? YOU'RE THE PATHETIC ONE, YOU OLD GEEZER!" Kimiko screamed in a strained voice before dashing away from her father and brother.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, glancing up at Kenji.

"Oi, for my anniversary..." Sasuke started, catching Kenji's attention. "...tell your siblings not to attempt murder on me."

* * *

><p>Kimiko stomped off throughout the village, anger seething from her face. Anybody that knew her and knew her well stayed a good distance away from her. It wasn't right to mess with the daughter of the Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura. Aside from good looks, she obviously inherited both their tempers.<p>

"Seriously...making my life hard with boys...I don't even know what to get for them for the anniversary..." Kimiko pouted to herself. "...It's cause I didn't learn anything...Bet otousan did this on purpose so I don't get any boyfriends...that stupid old man..."

"Ada? Kimiko, is that you?" chirped a familiar voice.

Kimiko turned around, smilig widely.

"Ah, Tenten-sensei!"

A brunette woman, hair tied into a big bun, approached the young Kimiko. She wore a peach battle qi pao underneath the Konoha flak jacket, signaling her jonin status. Hyuuga Tenten had once been Sousuke's jonin teacher for his genin team, thus Kimiko was always familiar with her. Not only that, she was the mother of three Hyuuga boys, including Koji. If she wasn't crushing on her son, Kimiko would have been very comfortable talking to Tenten at the moment.

"What's this I hear about your parents' anniversary? Are you planning something special for them?" Tenten asked curiously, a smile upon her cheeky face.

Kimiko sighed. "I wish. I don't know what to do for them! And otousan is so unromantic with okaasan, it's just gonna be the same old 'let's get rid of the kids and have sex tonight!'"

Tenten laughed lightly. "Now, now, Kimiko-chan, I used to think the same way too when your father and mother started dating. God, he was horrible! But overtime, I started to realize there is a hidden sweet side to him that he doesn't show to people much. You would have loved to be at their wedding, Kimiko-chan; your mother looked absolutely stunning and I swear that was probably the only time I saw your father actually smiled."

The Uchiha girl snorted. "Yeah, yeah, I've heard that plenty of times. But SERIOUSLY, he cannot be romantic when it calls for it! Otousan is such a dumbo!"

"Ahh, that's what I thought when your parents celebrated their first Tanabata," Tenten stated cheerfully. "He was so pathetic, didn't even know what to do with a girl! But you see, your father doesn't count on when it calls for romance; he does better."

* * *

><p>Tanbata was quickly coming up in only a few days and all the girls were worried about what the boys were up to. Ino was yapping about how if a man proposes to his girlfriend on Tanabata, then they were bound to be together forever. It didn't sound important at first but trust me: It will be. Considering who our boyfriends were (lazy Shikamaru, cold Sasuke, stupid Naruto, and quiet Neji) we girls had the right to panic about what they were going to do. We imagined that they were panicking too, just dying to know what we really wanted. If only they could read our minds. They had better not be meeting up at Ichiraku's doing stupid boy things and talking stupid boy things and not even realize Tanabata is up until the day it comes (We were later proven to be right about this).<p>

I guess to be honest; the most worried of them all was Sakura, thanks to your yapping Auntie Ino. Ino made such a big deal of how unromantic Sasuke was and how Sakura should expect more from him. Sakura had earlier said that she wouldn't be surprised if Sasuke didn't do anything for Tanabata since it wasn't his thing. She would be content with just going to the festival with him. Ino, however, had declared that every man, even one as clueless and cold as Sasuke, has a duty to their girlfriend to do something special. Ino proclaimed that a man like Sasuke should know very well about how to keep Sakura on. A few years running around on a murder rampage of revenge was no excuse for Sasuke's lack of romance, Ino had declared.

Then Ino started rambling about how surprising and super duper romantic it would be if Sasuke actually proposed to Sakura on Tanabata. I'm sure Sakura imagined it too, because her face was super red just from the pure thought of Sasuke proposing was out of the question. So thanks to Ino, your mother secretly worried to infinity and beyond on what your stupid father was planning for Tanabata because this would be the first time they actually did anything to celebrate their relationship officially.

But maybe...your mother had nothing to worry at all. At first.

Four days before Tanabata: I was pruning my beautiful lotus flowers that I had been growing since childhood when I saw something very...odd. I used to live in front of Konoha's number one jewelry maker, renowned for crafting the perfect engagement and wedding rings. God, I eagerly waited for the day Neji proposed to me just so we could look at the pretty ring samples. But you see, the jewelry place looked very odd that day because it had a very unusual visitor that nobody even expected to venture, let alone know the actual place.

Uchiha Sasuke was in that very jewelry store, his eyes roaming the counter of rings.

I could not believe my eyes. I remember thing: OMG is he doing what we girls would assume he was doing? I didn't want to get my hopes up so I wouldn't pressure Sakura if I ever saw it coming.

But then the jeweler showed Sasuke a SUPER, GORGEOUS, SPARKLY ring and he FREAKING NODDED. LIKE HE AFFIRMED IT WITH PERMISSION. I caught a sneak peek of it: It had a purple diamond on it. Now I wasn't sure what your father was thinking because purple is DEFINITELY not Sakura's color. He should have been smart enough and know that red, pink, and green flattered Sakura the best but because he's a stupid boy and was actually doing something right for once, I let it slide.

I remember doing my best not to squeal in delight nor rush to Sakura to tell her what Sasuke was up to for Tanabata. Who knew he could be the most romantic of them all? And they had only been dating for a few months too! Maybe its cause Uchihas are so impatient with everything. God, I wished Neji did that for me, since we had CLEARLY been dating the longest out of everybody at the time.

The jeweler dude hands Sasuke a velvet red box to store the ring and he tucks it in his pocket swiftly. Within a minute, Sasuke had walked away rather quickly from the place.

I remember during those last few days before Tanabata, Sakura was super worried about what Sasuke was going to do. In her mind, she wasn't expecting much. And all I wanted to scream at her was "HE'S GOING TO MARRY YOU!"

Luckily, Sasuke didn't disappoint. At first.

Three days before Tanabata, he took Sakura out to a sweet tiny cafe during her lunch break from the hospital. I swear, that was so un-Sasuke to actually take Sakura out on a date in mid-day. It's not like your father to be spontaneous. Why was I stalking them in the first place? Because I was sorta, half-hoping to see Sasuke actually propose before Tanabata because I wanted to think that he couldn't hide it anymore and would burst into a love song while proposing to Sakura. Gotta make sure if he does plan on doing it on Tanabata, I had to remind Neji that I would be dragging him around wherever your parents went.

Just the image of your father proposing to your mother was bound to be GOLD in Konohagakure. The idea of Sasuke _whipped_ amused everybody greatly.

Two days before Tanabata: Sakura was still worried of what Sasuke is going to on Tanabata since he has been very nice to her lately. Your father and mother took a stroll all around the village in the morning, and I'm sure they were still making their rounds well into the night. They must have passed by me like a billion times. I doubt that they talked much during their day-long stroll, but they looked very content. Even Sasuke. He would either nod, smirk, grin, whatever he does whenever your mother talked. And he would just listen. Sometimes he would tease her and she would tease him back. And around nighttime, he would start holding her hand close to him. It was very sweet how simple their love was. They didn't need much.

And damn, I was just waiting for Sasuke to just pop the questions already. Hurry up, Tanabata!

The day before Tanabata: I saw your parents sitting on top of the Hokage Tower, just watching the stars. Not sure what they were talking about since I was just leaving Tsunade's office after a mission briefing for the week after. But they looked really content and pleased with each other's presence. Rarely do I see Sasuke without his stupid, stoic, cocky look. He just looked really relaxed and peaceful with Sakura next to him. I would have stayed the whole night just to watch if Sasuke was going to propose to her that very moment. But I didn't because it was getting too late.

Besides, Sasuke didn't even propose that night, or the next. Your father didn't propose to your mother until nearly two years later.

So Tanabata comes and everybody is extremely excited for it. All the booths are rising up, the shops opening, and everybody can't wait for the festival that night. All the girls couldn't wait to get into their kimonos.

And at the time, I thought you father was going to propose to your mother that day.

Because I saw Sasuke laying on the grass, probably taking an afternoon nap from the hectic Tanabata decorations going around the village. Then Sakura approached him, taking a seat beside him. He must have been really tired (and completely idiotic), because when Sakura asked what they were doing today, eagerly anticipating Sasuke's big surprise, this was how your father responded:

"Nothing, now let me sleep."

OMG THAT PRICK.

I saw Sakura's face flare up for a few seconds like that she was going to smack some sense into him. But instead, she just smiled at him softly and walked away. Probably when your mother was ten feet away did you cross her arms angrily and ramble on about how your father was a stupid jerk. But her face suggested otherwise; your mother looked really sad and disappointed. Especially after all the nice things he did to lead up to Tanabata. Seriously, what a letdown.

I couldn't take this anymore. WHERE WAS THAT FUCKING RING?

Instead, I left my stalker spot and kicked Sasuke right in the head. Following that, this was how our loud yelling match went through.

Okay, I can't remember how the exact conversation went. It just sounded like this. You'll get the jist.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR, HYUUGA LOVER?" Sasuke screamed angrily at me.

"ARE YOU STUPID, UCHIHA?" I screamed back.

"THEN WHAT DOES THAT MAKE YOU?"

"WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY, UCHIHA! NEVERMIND WHERE THE HELL IS THAT RING?"

"WHAT RING?"

"THE RING YOU'RE GOING TO PROPOSE TO SAKURA WITH! THE RING THAT WAS GOING TO MAKE HER THE HAPPIEST GIRL TODAY! NOW SHE'S ALL ANGRY AND PISSED AT YOU FOR YOUR LACK OF ROMANCE!"

"I'M NOT GOING TO PROPOSE TO SAKURA! WHY THE HELL WOULD I? AND WHY IS SHE MAD ABOUT THAT?"

"WHAT. THE. HELL. MAN. DON'T. LIE. TO. ME. I SAW YOU AT THE JEWELRY STORE THE OTHER DAY!"

"YEAH, PICKING UP THE RING FOR NARUTO!"

"OH MY GOD YOU REALLY ARE GAY!"

"SHUT UP, HYUUGA LOVER!"

"STOP CALLING ME THAT, UCHIHA!"

"I'LL CALL YOU WHATEVER I WANT! NARUTO WAS ON A MISSION AND TOLD ME TO PICK IT UP SO HE COULD GIVE IT TO THE THAT ONE HYUUGA GIRL! GOT IT?"

"OH MY GOD SO NARUTO'S GOING TO PROPOSE TO HINATA-AND YES, UCHIHA, THAT IS HER FREAKING NAME!"

"HE'S NOT GOING TO PROPOSE! WHY DO YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO ASSUME THAT?"

"BECAUSE IT'S TANABATA BAKA! YOU PROPOSE TO THE GIRL YOU LOVE WITH A RING SO YOU'LL BE TOGETHER FOREVER!"

"FUCK THAT SHIT! WHAT THE HELL IS TANABATA ANYWAY?"

And that was how we stopped yelling. I was not expecting this.

"W-W-Wait...you don't know what Tanabata is?" I had asked him.

"No, what about it?" he said, looking at me like I was the dumbest girl he had seen in his life.

I gave him another smack to the head.

"DON'T LIE TO ME, UCHIHA!" I knew he was. I mean, if Naruto was smart enough to get a ring for Hinata, then Sasuke had to come up with at least something.

"IF YOU DIDN'T KNOW, WHAT WAS WITH ALL THE DATES, THE HOLDING HANDS, THE ROMANTIC WALK AROUND THE VILLAGE, STAR-GAZING-"

"You were spying on us?"

"Drop that, Uchiha. If you didn't know about Tanabata, why were you being so sweet to her these past few days?"

"None of your business, creeper."

"ANSWER THE DAMN QUESTION!"

"Okay, fine! Sakura just looked down and I tried to cheer her up! Better? Why do you even care?" He sounded really angry and panicky at the same time, like he had no idea what he had been doing the past few days.

"Of course she was down! She was worried about what you were up to for...Tanabata..."

I had just translated what Sasuke meant. Those dates he had for Sakura weren't because he was going to do something elaborate with Sakura; it was because it he didn't know Tanabata was coming up. He went on dates because he wanted to make Sakura happy, even without the knowledge of Tanabata. He didn't need a holiday to be romantic with your mother; he could do it when she was down and needed it. And he probably never asked her; I'm guessing he just knew she was down. And I guess that's what made me see your father in a whole new light. He wasn't just a boyfriend that tagged along or used your mother just to rebuild your clan; he truly cared about her.

You see, your father excelled at something most people in the world couldn't. He knew how to be romantic and sweet to your mother when it was never required.

Because many years later during another Tanabata (when he actually figured it out), he once ranted to me how there's no point to being romantic on a day if ift's required; it just blows everything. I never knew your father could have such wise insights in the topic, considering he used to be very a cold, maniac, killer-machine who obsessed over revenge, power, and killing everything really.

So I forgave him (inwardly) for my monster attack on him. In return, I explained to him about the concept of Tanabata and why it was so important to girls. I explained to him how his actions had led to Sakura's emotions and why she was acting like she was now. I explained why it appeared to be a huge letdown for her. And he would listen.

He didn't say anything while I talked. He just gave me a few nods and actually listened to me. It was kinda weird since we usually never talked until everybody had kids. But just his face...I remembered his face clearly. No arrogant smirk or stupid grins. No hardness to it. It was like during the whole time I talked, I could clearly tell he was thinking of Sakura. He just stared at the ground and he looked guiltier than he should be. Like, I even thought he felt remorseful of it, which he shouldn't have. I think he felt really bad about the Tanabata thing.

Then we parted ways without another word. We didn't really care about it much. I never talked to your father much except when I became your brother's genin sensei. I didn't know what he was going to do that night. Until it came.

When Tanabata night came, we all gathered at a restaurant for a big dinner. We all got our respective gifts and were having a blast. Turned out Sasuke was right about the ring belonging to Naruto. And Sasuke was still right about Naruto not proposing. He just gave the ring to Hinata because he merely thought it was really pretty and was Hinata's color, which was why Naruto had bought it. So you see, Kimiko, you Uncle Naruto was still a knucklehead back then. I remember all the girls just shaking our heads, just going "No, Naruto, that is not how you do it. Just stop, Naruto."

Your father was still a no show.

Your mother looked like she was fine. I mean, she got into all our games, ate dinner, entered the conversations, and played all our little contests. But when it came the time to leave for some festival outings, we all feared that Sakura was going to be alone and slightly sad. She assured us that she would be fine and that she could wander around on her own, hoping not to intrude on the other couples. We were unwilling, but we did anyway. I think she preferred to be alone at the moment. I really wanted to explain to her about Sasuke, but I wanted him to talk to her as well.

God, where the hell was your father, I remember thinking.

Neji and I had made a couple of rounds throughout all the booths when we saw something that pleased me very well.

I saw your mother and father, walking around, hand in hand. In Sakura's other arm? A bouquet of beautiful lotus blossoms. Sasuke still had his smug look on him but when Sakura's eyes wandered to places she wanted to go, there was a spark in his eyes that made me realize how truly happy she made him. I dunno how they made up, what they talked about, what he did, but it sure worked.

So I guess that even if your father lacks in the romance department, he always tries. I'm sure he did well in it; your mother would have never married him if he wasn't anyway.

And I was so proud of your father until Neji mentioned something very, very horrifying.

"Tenten, Sakura's flowers look just exactly like the ones in your front yard."

I came home that night only to discover that half my lotus blossoms had disappeared. The same lotus blossoms I had been growing for years.

I remember wanting to murder him the next day, but apparently, he was clever enough to ask Tsunade-sama for a two-week mission the day after Tanabata.

* * *

><p>"Heh...looks like otousan can do nice things..." Kimiko mumbled, slightly in awe.<p>

Then, she scowled loudly. "God, why can't he still do that? All they do now is just hav sex during Tanabata! And I can't believe he stole your flowers, Tenten-sensei! That was cruel, after all you did for him!"

Tenten laughed. "It's alright; your mother punished him enough after I told her about it. Besides, it helped with their relationship, so I'm okay with it."

"Still, he's so mean! He needs to repay you back big time! Especially since you were niisan's sensei," Kimiko exclaimed.

"True, but I learned to accept your father the way he is, besides," Tenten smiled. "All that matter is that he makes your mother happy. That's all that's needed for a happy marriage."

"I guess..." Kimiko bit her lips. She still wasn't sure what to get her parents for their anniversary.

"Your father may not be perfect, Kimiko-chan, but trust me: I think Uchiha Sasuke is a great father and he would never let anything happen to his family. Never."

* * *

><p>Sasuke left the bill on the counter as the old man handed him two cones of chocolate ice cream. Sasuke thanked the old man quietly, then looked below him.<p>

"Oi, Kenji, here's your ice-hm?"

Sasuke blinked twice. There was nobody next to him. He glanced around the ice cream shop. It was just him and the old man. No one else. Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"Where did that rascal go?"

* * *

><p>Okay, here's some commentary. I wanted to do some kind of background on Kimiko too as the female Uchiha. I know it's very stereotype for teenage girls to only think about boys, but I think she caught the crush bug late since all she did as an Uchiha was train and try to be the best. I know I made her awkward with boys, but that's how I feel when girls have crushes for the first time.<p>

For Tenten, I always had this idea that she would have this odd older-cousin relationship with Sasuke somewhat. I know they have no communication in the manga, so I thought it would be nice to imagine it.

And if you haven't guessed by the ending, yes, the next chapter will star our cutie Kenji! Yay! He gets to hear a story too! Can you guys guess who's next to tell of Sasuke's "romantic" antics?

PS: I just realized that here, I'm writing a story within a story with all these flashbacks. Which means...STORYCEPTION

Yeah, you can tell Inception has cursed my mind forever.

Oh ramble thought: Have you guys seen Hyuna's new video "Bubble Pop?" I don't get why people are making a huge deal of it being overly-sexual. I mean, I've seen worse. She's not even grinding the dude in the video. But I guess its cause Korea is really conservative. Maybe it's cause she still looks like a little girl in the video. In Vietnam and America, people like grind against each other and make out on TV and nobody gets mad. I've always thought Vietnam was pretty liberal for Asia when it comes to entertainment and sexuality. I mean, you go to certain areas and all you see is teenage girls only wearing bikini tops and booty shorts. When I went to Hong Kong one summer for vacation, everybody looked at me like I was crazy when I wore a bikini to the beach. I think an old lady was cursing me in Cantonese cause she kept motioning to her shirt 0.o


	5. The Wedding Planner

Chapter 4: The Wedding Planner

"...then she ran out all of sudden out of the cafe," Koji explained to his friend about his afternoon as they strolled out of the training grounds. "Are you sure everything's alright with your sister?"

Sousuke snorted. "In case you haven't noticed, Hyuuga, Kimi has a huge crush on you."

"I doubt it," Koji smiled lightly. "I imagined that she would prefer the hyper, funny type."

"Damn, you're stupid," Sousuke scowled, placing his hands behind his head. "You don't like her...do you?"

Koji raised an eyebrow and nearly gulped upon seeing Sousuke's glare. Koji shook his head swiftly. This made Sousuke laugh.

"Don't worry, Hyuuga," Sousuke reassured him, patting him on the back. "I rather have you dating my sister than all the losers in this village."

Koji sighed. "It's alright, Uchiha. I'm fine with just helping you murder any boy that tries to touch Kimiko."

"Cut the bullshit Hyuuga and just ask my sister out," Sousuke stated flatly, grinning slyly. Koji blushed slightly, his pale eyes darting to the ground nervously.

"Aren't you to talk, considering you're too chicken to ask Shikana-san out."

"Don't change the subject, Hyuuga," Sousuke snarled.

Koji chuckled. It was amazing how laid-back his best friend could be and then when a certain girl's name popped, he looked just as scary as his father. "Why do you insist on denying it? You know she likes you too."

"I know that," Sousuke shot back, his eyes looking the other way. "It's just..."

His black orbs caught the girl of the topic. Shopping with a few girlfriends was Shikana, smiling and laughing with them. She glanced his way, catching Sousuke. He saw her blush slightly as blue eyes met with black. She smiled at her nervously yet filled with kindness. Sousuke's eyes widened before he turned the other way, angry at himself for allowing Shikana to catch him. He grunted in annoyance.

Sneaking a peek from the side, Sousuke noticed Shikana's girlfriends giggling, probably teasing Shikana for the supposed "stare down" between him and her. He heard Shikana fight back weakly and he smirked inwardly when he saw her face grow incredibly red like a tomato. However, he could clearly see the disappointment in her eyes.

Sousuke sighed. They used to be so close. He remembered being able to confide in Shikana in anything, talking to her every day. Now, it was just...

"Hey, lover boy," Koji said, punching Sousuke in the shoulder. "Don't check her out if you're gonna deny your feelings for her."

"Go to hell, Hyuuga."

This did not make Koji feel any better. "In case you haven't noticed, you haven't talked to Shikana that mission to Snow Country you two went on. Care to elaborate?"

Sousuke stiffened, biting his lips. "That's none of your business."

"Well, Uchiha, it is when my best friend isn't talking to the girl he loves," Koji teased mercifully.

"I am not in love with Shikana," Sousuke gritted through his teeth.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with you dropping the ANBU exams?"

Sousuke's eyes widened. He definitely did not remember telling his best friend about that.

"How did you know?"

Koji frowned. He crossed his arms and faced Sousuke directly. "Remember? My father's in charge of the ANBU exams. He said you withdrew."

"Well, I don't feel ready for it," Sousuke mumbled, hoping they wouldn't talk about this right now.

"Ready?" Koji scoffed. "You can't be serious. You completed twice the required missions needed and you've gotten recommendations from half the jonins and ANBU Ops together. I'm sure you're more than ready."

"Well maybe I don't want to be ANBU yet. Maybe I just want to enjoy the easy life for a while," Sousuke argued. "Can we just skip this?"

"I just don't get it, Sousuke," Koji went on. He usually never called Sousuke by his first name; they were too busy mocking each other's surnames. Sousuke had learned overtime that they had a habit of only calling each other's first name when they got into some serious business.

"You were training overtime and taking on missions without breaks just so you could become ANBU right away. Then that mission with Shikana comes and you just forgot about it? It's making me curious what really happened during that mission."

"Just drop it, will ya?" Sousuke nearly yelled. "Nothing happened between me and Shikana."

Suddenly, Koji's eyes grew to the size of golf balls.

"Damn...you got her pregnant-GAH PUT THAT SWORD AWAY FROM ME, UCHIHA!"

Koji winced slightly as the cold metal laid right on his neck. Sousuke glared at him with his dark, swirling Sharingan. The blood red eyes were enough to haunt anybody, even a Hyuuga like Koji himself. Smirking, Sousuke slowly lowered his sword from his friend.

"I'm sure ANBU Ops don't like cowards in their team, Hyuuga," Sousuke teased darkly, sliding his sword back into its sheath.

Koji scoffed. Then, his eyes caught something interesting, "Oi, Uchiha, isn't that Kenji over there?"

"Hn?" Sousuke looked over, raising an eyebrow.

It was just as Koji said: Kenji was skipping up and down with his bunny toy on his shoulders, humming a random tune he probably made up himself. Sousuke stared at his little brother, just walking around the village as if he didn't care about child kidnappers, molesters, or pedophiles even existed.

Sousuke shrugged. "Whatever; he's not my responsibility today. Otousan's training him." _Where is that geezer anyway?_

* * *

><p>"Da dadada da da dada daaaa!" Kenji hummed to himself, his bunny bouncing up and down on his shoulder. He glanced up to his bunny.<p>

"Ne, ne, Pochi, what should we do today?" He asked his bunny plushie.

Kenji continued skipping along, eventually finding himself on the training grounds once more. He always thought the grounds were massive compared to his tiny body. He wondered when he was old enough to finally take on this place. His father always made him train in their backyard because it was much smaller. Plus, his father always complained that it was a lot easier to watch him and not get Kenji lost. Kenji never understood what his father ever had to worry about.

His big black eyes peered to the side, noticing a familiar figure sitting in the grass. The figure was a tall pale man with long brown hair, hanging loosely to the side. The man wore traditional white robes with a black slash around his waist. He sat Indian-style, his eyes closed as two fingers formed the familiar ninja sign.

Kenji had a huge smile across his cheeks. He scurried quickly to the man, who had yet to notice the little boy, and screamed into his ears:

**"WHACHA DOIN' NEJI-JICHAN?"**

Neji's white eyes flew wide open in pure shock. Immediately, he stood up in a fighter's stance, hands ready to destroy his enemy. When he realized his enemy was just a sweet little five-year-old who he was too familiar with. Upon seeing Kenji smile innocently as he hugged his infamous bunny toy, Neji relaxed and sighed.

_How is this boy Uchiha's son?_ He thought mentally. Seriously, if Neji was blind to Kenji's looks, which were basically identical to Sasuke, he would have assumed this kid was Naruto's or Kiba's. He was too loud to be an Uchiha.

"Good afternoon, Kenji," Neji greeted calmly, recovering from his initial shock. "Shouldn't you be with your parents?"

"Nope! Okaachan is at the hospital and otouchan is buying ice cream!" Kenji exclaimed. "Neji-jichan, were you sleeping? Your eyes were closed."

"No, Kenji, I was merely meditating to retain my charkra control," Neji chuckled, sitting back down. Kenji followed suit.

"What's meditating? What's charkra? Is it a tummyache? Why do you need to control it? Can my otouchan do it to?" Kenji asked rapidly.

"In time, you will learn, Kenji," said Neji. "Right now, you are too little to worry about being a ninja."

"I am not too little!" Kenji pouted, his cheeks puffing like a blowfish. "I'm a big kid! I can walk around the village all by myself!"

_More like getting lost and your father's too lazy to look after you,_ Neji grinned inwardly.

"And I know what aninininivercakeries are!"

"What?" Neji asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Anininivercakeries!" Kenji repeated. "Niissan and neechan said that otouchan and okaacan's anininivercakeries is next week!"

"You don't mean anniversary, do you?" Neji asked, but Kenji didn't seem to hear it.

"Niisan and neechan want to do something big, but I dunno what," Kenji rambled on. "I want to make them breakfast, but I dunno how to cook. So I want to draw a picture for them, but I dunno how to color. Chihiro-chan told me that she can help, but today she's shopping with her Auntie Tem. Then Lee-sensei told me to sing a song to them, but I dunno how to so he said he would help me, but he can't today because's he training Gaito-senpai and and-"

"Okay, I get it, Kenji," Neji stopped him. Usually, he would be very irritated with little kids talking on and on but because this kid looked exactly like Sasuke and bore no resemblance in personality, Neji found himself greatly amused by it.

"Ne, ne, do you have stories of my otouchan and okaachan? Naruto-jiichan told us one where otouchan and okaachan fell in love with each other," Kenji asked. "But how do you fall in love? Otouchan said that love is when okaachan makes breakfast everyday for him and he brings her lunch to the hospital every day. I didn't know love was a hole you fall into! Anyway, Naruto-jichan said otouchan was super cool with okaasan because he beat up this one dude with his chidori and and-"

And then, a wicked idea came into Neji's head.

"You know, Kenji..." Neji began. "I do have a story about your parents."

Kenji's eyes sparkled. "Tell me! Tell me! Tell me NOW! But remember, stories always start with 'Once upon a time!'"

Neji chuckled. "Alright, Kenji..."

* * *

><p>Once upon a time...<p>

Your father decided he wanted to be whipped the earliest out of all of us so he proposed to your mother.

But this is not a story of how he proposed. Nor is it of their wedding day.

It is the story of what happened in between the proposal and the wedding day.

It is the story of how your father survived the wedding plans.

Or to be more exact: The wedding planner.

I can't remember his name, but Tsunade-sama, the former Hokage, had recommended him to your parents after the proposal. He was supposedly the best wedding planner in Fire Country. I think your father took on the idea very willingly at first because he had no idea on how to plan a wedding and accepted the fact that they might as well get help.

Oh, how he regretted his decision.

Because all of the girls were your mother's bridesmaids, they forced the boyfriends to be Sasuke's groomsmen, your Uncle Naruto taking the Best Man spot. Not that we argued against it. The only time we hated being your father's groomsmen was every time we met up with that wedding planner.

All the girls were in love with him. He talked just like them and knew what it took to throw grand weddings. He captivated the girls with his brilliant ideas of dolphins dancing and singing or something about swan choreography or whatever he made up.

The guys, on the other hand, could not look beyond it. We saw the wedding planner for his true colors. The fact that he was dressed like a girl was startling enough.

He wore tight pants. He wore a bedazzled crop jacket. He wore a really low v-neck shirt. He had diamond earrings.

And he always threw your father very, very flirtatious looks that I'm sure sent nightmares to your father as if he was back with that Orochimaru-snake-homo.

It was very easy to tell that your father was regretting paying his massive Uchiha clan fortune on a pathetic wedding planner as this fool.

But your mother, as well as the rest of the girls, were swooned by his over-the-top romantic gestures for the wedding.

The guys didn't care. Even your father. We were just dragged mercifully by the girlfriends to every session with that terrible wedding planner. He just wanted this wedding over.

He just wished it was easier.

I can remember your father's reactions to everything the wedding planner threw at him. In disgust.

First: The guest list.

"You must have a big wedding! There's going to be over 800!" squealed the wedding planner.

"Oh my god, that's enough to invite everybody, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura replied excitedly.

"Who the hell are half these people on the list?" Sasuke asked scornfully. "I don't want the whole village at my wedding."

"Ah, but a huge name as yours deserves such a grandiose affair, Sasuke-kun!" The wedding planner suggested in glee.

"Don't call me that," Sasuke growled at the wedding planner, feeling suddenly creeped out more than before.

Second: The Location.

"You can have it in the heart of the village! And you shall be wedded in front of the fountain, where I shall have trained penguins perform aquatic acrobats and form the words of you lover's wedding speechs!" cried the wedding planner.

"Oh my god, that's so beautiful!" I'm sure that was Ino squealing. "Sakura, as your maid of honor, I propose that you HAVE to do that! It's so cute!"

"It sounds so romantic," Sakura smiled dreamily. "Sasuke-kun, what do you think?"

"I rather eat those penguins," Sasuke had mumbled darkly. Your mother gave him the many kicks in the leg she gave anytime your father made a rude comment to the wedding planner.

"Or perhaps we shall move it to the beach, where the dolphins swim in a heart shape and you Sasuke-kun and dear Sakura-chan can take diving lessons and land in the dolphins' dance of hearts and swim away in a couple's freestyle routine!"

"I would like to drown you in the ocean," Sasuke threatened. Your father can only take so much from a very giddily wedding planner.

"Is that an offer?" The wedding planner had smiled suggestively. I think your father would have loved to cripple him if your mother didn't hold him back.

Third: The Date.

"I've always wanted a spring wedding," Sakura admitted to the wedding planner.

"Simply lovely, my dear Sakura-chan! I can arrange special dancers to perform an ancient blossom tribal dance that is traditional every year at the dawn of March! It will seal your love with Sasuke-kun not only in blood, but also in spirits so that when you both pass away, you two shall become stars who will never depart from each other!" The wedding planner had stated in a passionate speech.

I'm starting to realize how weird of it for me to actually remember he said these things. Maybe it's because I always got a good kick of Sasuke's reactions.

"What the hell is he talking about?" Sasuke complained.

"I dunno, but it sounds too troublesome," Shikamaru commented.

"Or perhaps you shall revolutionize the wedding trends and have it take place in winter! Then, you can arrive at your wedding riding on a polar bear and on the night of your wedding, you and Sasuke-kun can make love in a special tribal igloo where you must continuing to make love throughout the night so that you two remain warm and become one!"

"Only if we feed you to those polar bears," Sasuke grunted.

Fourth: The Food

"Caviar is a must for your wedding as future Uchiha Heads! Only the finest names shall allow the finest food for their weddings!" exclaimed the wedding planner as he handed out caviar to everybody to sample.

"Oh my goodness, this caviar is sooooo yummy!" Ino squealed.

"It's so soft and tasty," Tenten moaned in between bites.

"It's very well-made..." Hinata said softly.

"This caviar is totally going to be at the wedding," Sakura declared.

"This caviar is making me broke," Sasuke scowled.

"And the cake! Yes, yes, yes darlings the cake must have tender, loving, and care for your wedding! We can have the very top go up in a bouquet of flowers shaped like a heart! I know people who can make mini figures of Sakura-chan and Sasuke-kun out of the finest diamonds from Rock Country! The figures would be exact replica of your loving faces and sit on top of the heart as if floating away in a sky of love! Oh it would be so lovely!" squealed the wedding planner in delight.

"Why do we need to do so much?" Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Why don't you just serve ramen?" Naruto suggested loudly, earning slaps from all the girls.

Fifth: The Dresses

"Now, I think all the bridesmaids shall wear red! Yes, yes, it would be absolutely gorgeous! This would celebrate your duty as a ninja for Fire Country and not to mention, red is the color of _amor_! Oh, I'm so brilliant! Yes, red is the color for the bridesmaid! Oh I must tell Sakura-chan! But she is trying her wedding dresses! Should never mess with a bride-to-be with her dresses! Ohohoho!"

"Oh Ino, that dress is gorgeous on you!" Tenten exclaimed as Ino came out with a long red gown.

"Shikamaru, don't you think I'm a beautiful maid of honor?" Ino asked.

"Sure." Shikamaru won a slap.

"Oh no no no! That dress would be hideous on a girl with no boobs like yours! Nuh uh, girlfriend!" stated the wedding planner. Your Aunt Ino really wanted to murder the wedding planner. Almost as much as your father.

He was, to sum it up, extremely tired of all this wedding plan. Some might even think he would call it off just so he wouldn't have to deal with. All the boys thought so too. He just looked plan irritated everytime we had a wedding session. He always looked more annoyed than the rest of it. And he was the one getting married.

"I need to talk to Sakura," he had suddenly said, getting up from the man couch where all the boys were busy playing cards or drinking or doing anything to pass the time.

"Oh no no no Sasuke-kun! It is a big taboo for the groom to see the bride in the wedding dress before the big day! Very, very bad boy! You don't want to put your marriage in crisis-"

And then you father just kicked the wedding planner to the side. It wasn't like your mother had seen it.

He turned a corner, disappearing from our sights. However, all the boys heard him pull the curtains open.

"Oi, Sakura, are you done yet..." You father trailed off.

Followed by a squeak from your mother.

"Ah, Sasuke-kun! Get out of here! Don't you know it's bad luck to look at me in a dress before the wedding?" I heard your mother yell at him.

And everybody got curious.

"Oi, Neji, use your Byagukan! Give us the details!" Naruto whispered.

I activated my eyes.

And to my surprise, I was actually very pleased with what I saw.

He had suddenly stopped talking. Because he saw your mother in a wedding dress for the first time.

A wedding dress for her marriage to him.

I think that was gone through your father's mind as he stared at your mother in the wedding dress. Maybe it was the realization that this was actually coming true. That maybe they could finally be together for the rest of the lives. That at last, they can celebrate it. He just looked stunned at the sight of your mother. His expression softened. He didn't look cold as he usually was.

If your Uncle Naruto was telling this story, he would describe it as the world ending:

Because your father smiled.

"You look beautiful."

I'm pretty sure at that moment he just forgot about that annoying, weird wedding planner.

Because after he saw your mother in a wedding dress, he was a lot calmer and relaxed during the wedding planning sessions. Still annoyed, yes. That wedding planner did know how to press his buttons hard. But he wasn't making anymore snide comments.

I think he discovered that an annoying wedding planner was not going to let him stop being with Sakura. He learned that he needed to sacrifice a lot things to stay with your mother. Even surviving an annoying wedding planner who was more interested in snatching Sasuke from Sakura than planning the most amazing wedding in the world.

Basically, your father learned that it didn't matter what he had to overcome to be with your mother; he'll do it.

If all it took was just beat up the wedding planner occasionally when your mother wasn't looking, then your father was more than happy with it.

Because all he really wanted was to just stay with your mother for life.

And that was all that mattered to your father.

* * *

><p>"So that was how your father survived the wedding planner," Neji finished, grinning evilly.<p>

"So that means otouchan was really, really, really strong?" Kenji asked innocently. "The wedding planner dude must have been really, really, really annoying."

"You have no idea," Neji chuckled.

And then, Kenji's eyes widened in horror.

"AH! I HAVE TO FIND OTOUCHAN! HE HAS MY ICE CREAM!" Kenji screamed. He stood up quickly, bowed to Neji out of respect, then ran off. Neji stared off, smiling. Children were so innocent.

Then, his eyes turned the side. He sensed another presence around. Neji smirked.

"Enjoyed my story, Uchiha?"

"If I recalled Hyuuga..." Sasuke began, hanging upside down from the tree branch. "…your wife hired the same planner right after. And I'm pretty you went gay for him when he undressed you during the fittings."

"Shut up, Uchiha."

"Then don't tell stupid stories to my son."

"Aren't you supposed to be watching him?"

"And make him cry for ice cream every five minutes? I don't think so," Sasuke scoffed.

"He's only a boy, Uchiha. Something might happen to him," Neji warned.

"Worried about my child? I'm touched," Sasuke smirked. He landed on the ground softly, standing next to Neji. "Don't worry. Uchihas are capable of taking care of themselves."

"AAAHHHHHH A BUTTERFLY! GET AWAY FROM IT! DON'T EAT ME! GO AWAY BUTTERFLY! AAHHHHH I'M GONNA DIE! OTOUCCCHHHAAAANNNN!" Sasuke heard his youngest son scream from the afar.

Sasuke watched as a tiny butterfly was chasing his son for reasons he didn't want to even know. Sasuke had a sweat drop on his forehead, turning away in slight embarrassment.

He always did wonder if Sakura she slept with another man to have Kenji. But seeing that Kenji was practically his minature version, Sasuke would just forget it.

Neji grinned victoriously. "You were saying, Uchiha?"

Sasuke glared at the Hyuuga. He was expecting Neji to return with another taunt, but instead, he saw the Hyuuga's expression turn grim.

"Sousuke withdrew from the ANBU Exam." The mood had suddenly darkened.

Sasuke nodded. "I know."

"I shouldn't worry much as the exam's proctor but..." Neji paused for a moment. "Your son had gone above and beyond to make sure he had entry to the exam. Got recommendations from half the jonin and ANBU. Even ones outside the village. And to suddenly drop from it..."

"Hn."

"He's not alone, Uchiha," Neji continued. "Only one other dropped too.

"Apparently, that person was the only one who got a recommendation from the Head ANBU Captain: You."

Sasuke did not look at Neji. He was too busy staring at the clouds. Neji turned to Sasuke sternly, raising an eyebrow.

"You haven't given out a recommendation in the last six years."

"There's potential this year."

"In only one jonin? Should I be surprised you didn't give it to your son?"

"Sousuke doesn't need my recommendation to pass," Sasuke retorted. "He just needs to control his emotions."

"You're saying you recommended Shikamaru's daughter because she's better at controlling her emotions than your son?"

"No, I recommended Shikamaru's daughter because she's better at controlling her emotions than _all_ the participants this year."

The two did not speak to each other for a moment. Sure, a major requirement to become ANBU was to demonstrate one's ability to control their emotions well, but Neji did always find Sasuke's motives to be very blurry and undetermined. He was a man that mainly kept to himself. Especially as the Head ANBU captain.

"It shouldn't be my concern when people drop out, but my son's been telling me there's tension between Sousuke and Shikana since their last mission."

Sasuke nodded, his eyes holding no emotions.

"I have a good idea why."

Neji's eyes widened only for a split second. He watched as Sasuke took his first steps away from him, walking out of the training grounds.

"I'll talk to them both and see what's up. Besides..."

Sasuke grinned. "I should talk to my goddaughter more...now that my son's in love with her."

* * *

><p>COMMENTARY TIME WHEEEEE! Do you guys still like these? Tell me what you think!<p>

So I know Kenji's adventure is very limited in this chapter, but I promise he will have it! It won't be as important as Sousuke's, but just a small one to lighten the mood. As you guys have read, the Sousuke story is starting to develop, especially involving Shikana HAR HAR. It's like there's a double romance in here: the past (or present if you go along normal Naruto storyline) and the future generation. I did this because I didn't just want this story to be the kids to running around finding stories of their parents; they should have their own story webbed in as well.

For Neji's story, he doesn't take much part in it except as the witness. I've always thought it would be funny if Sasuke was faced with a diva-like wedding planner and he can't do much about it because he only wants to make Sakura happy. I've had people tell me that I'm teasing the readers about how Sasuke proposed or what happened on their wedding day since I keep mentioning it throughout, but you'll see why in time.

I'm really glad that I'm updating this story pretty quickly. I can definitely tell it's due to summer with an easier schedule. I don't see why authors will only update if they get a certain amount of reviews. When I first started, I still updated even if I got less than 5 reviews for a chapter. You shouldn't let the lack of reviews of hits discourage you. Write for you, not others.

I should do more for Stubborn, but that needs me to take time for. This one is very easy for me to just write it, read it over, edit, and upload it. I don't need to worry about structure of the plot too much in here, even if there is a background story.


	6. Missing You

Chapter 5: Missing You

Sousuke woke up that night, sweating profoundly. His eyes were blood struck, still wide in shock. He gasped in uneven, heavy breaths as if he just ran around the village all day. Along with his breath, his bare chest heaved up and down. His blanket was starting to moisten from the sweat dropping from his forehead to the sheets.

He gripped his forehead, wiping away any sweat left.

_That nightmare again..._he thought to himself. He wanted to smack himself so hard. He lowered his hand, staring at it curiously. He could clearly see his chakra flow through his veins. Sousuke cursed.

_Shit, why does this always happen?_

His sharingan had activated on its own. Again. It had been going on like this for more than a month. Ever since that blasted mission. He shut his eyes for a few seconds, only to reopen them. He sighed in relief when he could no longer see his charkra flow. His eyes reverted back to dark, black pools again.

He landed back on his bed again, trying to fall asleep from his nightmares. Just as he always tried to do every night for the last month. He closed his eyes, hoping sleep would overcome home shortly. He did not want to go deal with another mission tomorrow morning without enough sleep.

* * *

><p>Sousuke had woken up early the next morning, ate his breakfast quickly, place his sword around his belt, packed all his weapons and necessities, and left the Uchiha Mansion within fifteen minutes. He didn't need to meet up with the rest of his team for another two hours, but Sousuke knew that as the team leader, he had to go over the details once more with the Hokage.<p>

As he arrived at the Hokage Tower, Sousuke realized there was nobody in sigh of the stair. Smiling mischievously, he positioned himself in a runner's stance. It was still early in the morning. He didn't detect anybody's presence aside from people on the top floor. It wouldn't hurt for one tiny sprint. He hadn't sprinted up the tower for years. It was a favorite game during his childhood.

In less than a second, Sousuke dashed up the stairs, his speed matching lightning. He would have been giggling like crazy if he was five-years-old again. But because he had a reputation to keep up, he just smirked throughout the whole run. He would finish this whole routine in less than five seconds.

And just as he reached the top, his eyes widened in horror as it met with a familiar pair of blue, ocean eyes at the top of the stairs.

"Oh shit!" **BAM!**

Sousuke winced in pain as he crashed into the person. They landed on the floor, followed by a loud thud. His arms gripped tightly onto a pair of slender shoulders. He withdrew them immediately, slowly propping himself up on his elbows.

"S-S-S-Sousuke-k-k-kun?"

Sousuke froze at the sound of her soft voice. He looked down, immediately regretting it. Underneath him was Shikana, her face blushing madly. He realized that their faces were incredibly dangerous to each other, noses touching and lips only an inch away. A pink tint snuck to Sousuke's cheeks, trying his best to hide it. He was not expecting this. How did he not sense her, Shikana. out of all the people in the world?

"Er, I-I-w-w-was j-just-" Sousuke began nervously, but he never finished.

The two heard a loud, forced-out cough.

Sousuke glanced to the side, his eyes widening once more. If only he had the will to commit suicide. **_Fuck my life._**

Standing in front of them was none other than Nara Shikamaru: Konoha's lead strategist and Shikana's father.

Shikamaru stared at them, slightly irritated. Sousuke gulped. Out of all the people in the world… He could feel Shikana's face heat up, her face even redder.

"O-Otousan! I-I-It w-w-was an a-a-accident!" Shikana began frantically. "A-A-Ano, S-S-Sousuke-k-k-kun w-w-was-"

Shikamaru sighed, scratching his head. "D-Do you two need any privacy? Because I thought teenagers liked making out in an empty room or is that too troublesome-"

"NO!" Both Sousuke and Shikana yelled, blushing madly.

Shikamaru just stared in a bored expression. "Um, okay, Uchiha, the Hokage's not in right now. I'll go over the strategies you need for your mission," he explained in an annoyed tone. "So when you're ready to get off my daughter, meet me in my office."

Sousuke nodded quickly. The older Nara walked onward, sidestepping the teenagers on the ground. Sousuke could have sworn he heard Shikamaru mutter under his breath "Uchihas" followed by "troublesome."

"Um, Sousuke-k-k-kun..." he heard Shikana speak nervously.

He looked at her again, suddenly remember how close they once were. Now, and before. Especially in time. He looked at her eyes again, startled but always a beautiful blue like an ocean. He looked away immediately, quickly standing up. He lowered a hand, Shikana taking it hesitantly. Sousuke helped pull her up so that she was now on two feet. She wiped off any dirt on her clothes delicately and Sousuke just glanced up and down, eventually meeting with her eyes once more. Once again, Shikana blushed, her lips slightly parted.

Sousuke scratched the back of his head. "Er, I-I have to go, your father-"

"Um, yeah, of course, no problem," Shikana nodded her head quickly. She looked down and Sousuke could see a certain disappointment in her eyes. She stepped down the stairs, leaving Sousuke standing alone. He tried his best to not look back at her, tightening his fist. He bit his lips, unsure of what everything that just happened was about.

He hadn't talked to her since that mission.

"Shikana," Sousuke turned around abruptly. Luckily, she didn't go far. Her head turned, followed by a whip of her long, brown hair.

"Y-Yes?" She replied, somewhat scared.

Sousuke opened his mouth, but he was at a loss of words. _Shit, what do I say?_

"Wear a jacket," Sousuke said sternly, trying to sound confident. "It's chilly outside."

Shikana just stared at him. She smiled at him uncomfortably. "O-Okay. Thank you, Sousuke-kun..."

Quickly, she went down the stairs. When she was finally out of sight, Sousuke slapped himself hard on the forehead.

_When did I become so…WEIRD AROUND HER? SHE'S JUST A FRIEND!_ He mentally yelled at himself.

"But it's amazing enough that she can even look at me after that mission..." Sousuke whispered, a painful look appearing on his face. "...some team leader I am."

He walked away from his spot, heading for Shikamaru's office.

Standing upside on the ceiling, two figures hid themselves in the shadow. They had seen everything that just happened. After watching the young Uchiha leave, one of them burst into a fit of laughter.

"Teme, your son is so awkward."

"Hn."

"I can see where he gets it from."

"Shut up, dobe. Shouldn't you be doing your duties for this village?"

"Do you want me to fire you, Sasuke? Besides, it's been a while since we hung out."

"Spying on my son fail at flirting is not a hangout, dobe."

"No, but it helps to figure out why those two dropped from the exams."

"Hn."

"I'm going assume something happened between them during the Snow Country Mission."

"Something did."

"You know what happened?"

"Sousuke has nightmares about it."

"So instead of asking your own son, you sneak into his mind?"

"He would have never told me the truth."

"Why do you think so?"

"Because he's my son," Sasuke finished bitterly.

* * *

><p>Sousuke twisted the doorknob unsteadily, still hesitant to enter Shikamaru's office. He walked in, noticing the man sitting at his desk, scribbling probably notes for the Hokage and coming up with strategies to mobilize the shinobi better. Sousuke closed the door gently behind him and bowed to Shikamaru.<p>

"Ah, Sousuke, take a seat," Shikamaru said, motioning to the chair in front of him. Sousuke nodded, obliging him by pulling out the chair and sitting in.

"Um, Nara-taichou," Sousuke started uncomfortably. "I-I'm sorry about earlier, you know, w-with your daughter-"

"Hai, hai, apology accepted. Don't over-react Sousuke," Shikamaru interrupted calmly. "Don't make me think you raped Shikana or something."

Sousuke fidgeted slightly at her name. Shikamaru immediately noticed, eyeing the young boy curiously, but decided to drop it. He pulled out a map of Konohagakure and its surroundings. On the map were two red X marks, each tied together into a single line.

"Movement of spies has increased around Konohagakure. I would not be surprised if they have snuck in the village yet; however, we can be sure that they still have their sites around. I want you and your team to scout around the village thoroughly, especially in these parts. Intel suggests these ninjas are only from small countries, though you must still be wary. According to the city people, there have been sightings of Sound-nins around. Be on the look out at all times."

Sousuke nodded, listening to every detail coming from Shikamaru's mouth.

"Does Sound have any real motive for spying on Konohagakure? They haven't had a stable shinobi system for years," Sousuke asked.

"I highly doubt an invasion from Sound, no. Rumors have been going around that they are rebuilding themselves again after Orochimaru's destruction," Shikamaru explained. "According to a mission by some Cloud-nins, one of Orochimaru's followers is now their Otokage, stirring up some trouble again. It's best not to interfere with Sound until we have a good idea what they're up to. Until then, Sousuke, just concentrate on locating the spies. The Hokage wants you and your team to return by nightfall, whether you find anything or not. Understand?"

"Yes, sir," Sousuke stated sternly. As he was about to stand up from his chair, he couldn't help but notice a batch of flowers in a vase, sitting on Shikamaru's desk to the side. Sousuke stared at him, intaking the scent. It was still fresh. It must have been placed just this morning.

Shikamaru noticed the boy staring at the flowers and grinned.

"Honeysuckle," Shikamaru stated, catching Sousuke's attention suddenly. "My wife tells me to take a dozen new ones everyday to work. She said it keeps my office from looking gloomy."

Sousuke smiled. Of course his Aunt Ino would force Shikamaru to do this.

"She tells me that honeysuckles mean 'devoted love,' meaning it'll protect me when I'm away from her," Sousuke saw Shikamaru's lips curve into a small smile, a rarity.

"Um, sir..." Sousuke began, biting his lips. "I know I'm supposed to treat you as my superior during work, but...can I ask you something personal?"

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, unsure of where this was going. He nodded.

"Do you think my father loves my mother?" Shikamaru could see the unsettling look in the young boy's eyes.

Shikamaru sighed. "More than he'll ever admit."

Sousuke frowned. "Well, is it that hard to show it to her once every so often? Their anniversary is coming up, and I'm sure he has nothing planned."

"Look, your father isn't the showy type," Shikamaru said calmly, leaning back against his chair. "Don't ever doubt that he doesn't love your mother. But I'll tell you this: Your father is miserable when he's not near her. Seriously, when they first started dating, your father was a wreck every time your mother left on missions that took too long."

Sousuke's eyes widened. "R-Really? He seems fine even when okaasan leaves for a few months."

"That's because he hides it all from you kids. But the first time she left for those missions, well, let's just say it's pretty hard for him to deal with..."

* * *

><p>Your mother and father had only been dating for a few months-probably no more than five. Yet Sasuke acted like it didn't make a difference whether they were friends or in a relationship. He still treated her the same way as before. Nonchalant and relaxed. It was as if the only thing that changed between the two was their relationship status. Nothing more. I seriously doubted if he had any feelings for her.<p>

At first, I thought it was quite pointless. Nobody had seen them go on actual dates. Last time I checked, they had only kissed once because your Uncle Naruto was a troublesome stalker who invaded on their private moments. They didn't really hold hands like normal couples. You would think they were in some sad, tragic, pathetic, arranged marriage.

And according to your Aunt Ino, your mother would just reply that everything was okay with their new relationship and just stop there. Sakura had nothing to say about her new relationship with Sasuke, because quite frankly, there really was nothing in it the first place. We all thought your father was only dating your mother out of pity or knew she loved him most or thought she was most suited to revive his clan. Troublesome, really, with your father acting like it was nothing special.

But then Sakura received this mission where she had to help some random village-ugh, can't remember the name, too troublesome to deal with-jumpstart their medical ninjutsu program. It other words, she would have to leave Konohagakure for one whole month. Although your mother did return after a long month, your Aunt Ino still decided to throw a small going-away party for her. I'm sure everybody was having a blast and bawling their eyes out when Sakura was about to leave.

Except your father. Your father was a hard case. He just stood to the side, not even caring that there was a party going, let alone that his own girlfriend was leaving the village for a whole month. I'm assuming his mentality was that it was just a simple month-long mission; she would be back in no time. One month wasn't going to make a difference. In fact, I thought he didn't even care what happened to her on the mission.

Until your mother was actually gone for that whole month. It was that month that I learned so many things about your father.

I'm pretty sure your father thought he could handle on his own quite well without your mother. It was only a month; it wasn't like it was going to make a difference.

Then, the first week played out. I learned that your father is a man of habits. And he doesn't break them easily.

I was visiting the hospital because Chouji had gotten injured from this one mission. When I made my way there, I noticed your father just exiting out of the building. He had his hands in his pockets, his shoulders hunched back to far, and a very strange, but...a look of disappointment on his face?

I thought I was imagining things. Usually when I saw your father back in the day, he was either irritated, annoyed, or so calm he didn't want to talk to anybody. So the fact that your father looked like none of those expression raised my curiosity greatly.

I didn't figure out why your father was at the hospital until I heard some troubling, annoying, giggly gossiping nurses in the hallway. I mean, Sasuke had no injuries or no reason to visit anybody whatsoever at the hospital. But the nurses answered all my questions while I eavesdropped on them talking about none other than your father.

"Ne, ne, wasn't that Uchiha Sasuke?"

"What are you, new? Of course it was!"

"I know, but...what was he doing here? He seemed so irritated when he left."

"Where have you been? Uchiha Sasuke comes everyday!"

"Why? Does he have a disease?"

"Of course not! He visits his girlfriend!"

"He's taken? Goodness, who is it?"

"Haruno Sakura, that's who! He visits her every day at the hospital for lunch. They lay low about it, but it's so sweet of him!"

"But...Haruno-san isn't here today. She's away."

"He must have forgotten. Poor boy must really miss her. I don't even think the idea has sunken into him yet. Maybe that's why he came."

So in that first week, your father was slowly starting to accept that your mother was actually gone for a whole month. Because he didn't stop going to that hospital until five days after your mother left. And every time he came, he would suddenly remember that Sakura was not in the lunchroom, waiting for him to eat with her. That this month, Sakura would not eat with him. Because she was away. For a whole month.

When Naruto badgered Sasuke about missing Sakura, he still denied it.

The second week came. I learned that your father is a very stubborn man. Which led him to be easily angered.

Your Uncle Naruto always wanted all the guys to hang out whenever our girlfriends had a girls' night out. They were really troublesome because it was just a bunch of dudes hanging around Ichiraku's, with only your Uncle Naruto actually eating ramen. I don't know if he was high off of ramen or something, but Naruto started wailing about how he missed Sakura because she would always slap him for eating too much ramen or whenever he got injuries she would heal them. Then he started pestering your father about if he missed your mother as well.

Of course, you father's too stubborn to admit the truth. Instead, he just grunts and "Hns" and scowls and rolls his eyes and growls and glares and whatever he could do that did not show that he cared.

But the more your father denied, the more Naruto kept pressing on the matter stupidly. Naruto would just squeal like a little girl that drunk way too much about Sasuke being Sakura's boyfriend and how cute it was and how it was about time or whatever.

Then your father just punches your Uncle Naruto into the face and leaves right away. Mind you, this was only the second week of your mother being away from him.

Then comes the third week. I learned that your father is very loyal to your mother. And that makes him miss her even more.

Ino had wanted everybody to go into the city to do this weird thing called "clubbing" where you're supposed to dance with random people and have drinks and talk like it's the time of your lives when really, it's just a stuffy dark room with random lights blurring everybody and you can't even talk to anybody because the music is too loud and people don't dance but rub each other's sweaty, private parts together. Don't ever go "clubbing," Sousuke. It is a weird hobby because civilians have nothing to do with their boring lives unlike us ninjas who nearly die every week because of our dangerous missions.

See, your father was what many women considered "hot." And as a result, it's not hard to believe that hundreds of women kept hitting on Sasuke. He would just shrug off the weak ones. Now, the needy ones were very troublesome. They practically forced him to say "I have a girlfriend" which is something your father usually hates to say. Not because he's afraid to admit he has one; he's just not used to the idea of speaking that he's in a relationship.

And the super obsessive girls practically throw themselves on him. And then your father always had to resort using your poor Aunt Hinata as to pose as his "girlfriend" because she was the least likely to revolt back, which always made Hinata over panic every time Sasuke swung his arm around her shoulder only to deter the slutty girls away, which would result in Naruto yelling at Sasuke for even trying to touch Hinata, which would cause more girls to go after Sasuke, which would make the weird girls jealous because they actually thought Hinata was Sasuke's girlfriend, which would scare the shit out of your Aunt Hinata, which would make Naruto loudly proclaim that Hinata was his, and then the cycle just continues. It always gets troublesome.

But the thing that got my interest the most was that even if he forced Hinata to ward off other girls as his "girlfriend," Sasuke always referred to her as "Sakura." He only called her your mother's name. Why? Well I would like to think it's because your father always associated "girlfriend" with "Sakura." Actually, I think when your father thinks of any kind of romantic relationship, Sakura always comes to mind. That usually when girls did try to flirt with him, Sakura was usually there to prove that Sasuke was hers and that his eyes were for no one else. Because I'm sure that as much as your father wanted to kick all the girls who dared to flirt with him, he knew he couldn't or else your mother would have been furious if he was ever rude to girls.

After that night, your father said he only called your Aunt Hinata "Sakura" because he couldn't remember Hinata's name; he didn't want to call his pretend girlfriend "that Hyuuga girl who's stupidly in love with dobe." He even assured us it _definitely_ wasn't because he missed your mother.

Your father liked to make excuses.

Finally, the fourth week came. I learned that your father is a very, VERY impatient man. And can be very aggressive because of it.

So when your mother informed us that she would return to Konohagakure two days later than expected (due to bad weather conditions), your father pretty much becomes berserk because the next thing I know, Naruto was sent to the hospital because Sasuke pulled one large-ass chidori on him when your Uncle Naruto was dumb enough to mention your mother's name.

And your father still denied that he missed her.

Plus, he seriously needs anger management classes; he cannot use the chidori every fucking time he explodes.

And the moment your mother stepped foot in Konohagakure after a whole month had passed, your Aunto Ino had thrown a surprise homecoming party. Unfortunately, your mother could not even celebrate two seconds of that party because your father had whisked her away the moment he saw her face the first time in a whole month.

And being the nosy teenagers we were, all of us decided to spy on them in secret.

And oh my god, I can just remember how we all thought Uchiha Sasuke was an unromantic, cold, arrogant, prideful prick with a stick up his ass. And how we were proven extremely wrong at that moment.

Okay, I'm not gonna describe in detail because it's too troublesome and I would sound really, really homosexual if I did.

To put it in one thought: Your father slams your mother against a tree and makes out with her like crazy and whispers all these supposedly dirty but kinda romantic ideas for them to do on the bed and they leave while completely forgetting that there was a party and your Aunt Ino gets super angry at your father because he stole your mother away from the party she took all the time in the world (in reality, four days) to plan and let it go to ruins.

So what happens after? Well, your mother never went on a mission for any longer than a month; we all figured out that's the maximum your father would allow your mother to be away from her. And the maximum for him not to go insane.

And when she could go on missions for longer than a month? Well, Sasuke only let that happen on one condition.

If she agreed to marry him.

Basically, the only way your father was going to let your mother alone for a while was to know that no matter how long they were away from each other, they would always come back to one another.

Your father is a very picky man, very troublesome, very ruthless and easily angered. But only because your mother made him go crazy.

Crazy because he loved her very dearly.

* * *

><p>"And that's how I know I'm pretty damn sure your parents love each other," Shikamaru finished with a sigh. "I mean seriously, you should have seen the size of your father's chidori every time Naruto pissed him off about your mother."<p>

Sousuke laughed lightly. Shikamaru stared at him, an eyebrow raising. Sousuke took noticed.

"Is something the matter, sir?" Sousuke asked politely.

"It's just..." Shikamaru hesitated, still eyeing Sousuke. "You laugh so easily, very naturally."

"Um, thanks?"

"It's very hard to make your father laugh like you do."

There was a pause in between the two. Sousuke's smile softened, his eyes more sincere.

"I dunno..." Sousuke said, fighting back another laugh. "I guess I'm a lot happier than he was at my age."

"And that's what makes you and your father so different."

At this phrase, Sousuke frowned. "He had it worse, though. H-His brother killed the whole clan. People manipulated him, took advantage of him. He was more vulnerable to the idea of revenge. I mean, nothing could have been done about it-"

"Don't get the wrong idea, because I forgive him for the past," Shikamaru quickly cut in before his look darkened. "But do you believe revenge is the perfect excuse for the way he was?"

Sousuke's eyes widened. He pondered on the question, trying to figure out an answer. Revenge. That was always a tough subject to talk to his father about.

And to Shikamaru's shock, Sousuke smiled.

"I don't think any excuse is perfect."

Slowly, Sousuke stood up from his seat. He bowed politely to Shikamaru before standing up tall.

"Thank you for your time, sir. I need to meet up with my team soon," Sousuke replied, smiling.

Shikamaru nodded. Sousuke closed the door quietly, his footsteps growing quieter and quieter. Shikamaru stared at the empty chair in front of him, where the young Uchiha boy sat not long ago. He pictured the boy sitting there again, his undeniable good looks of the Uchiha clan and that unfamiliar but warm smile that was rare on them.

_Nice, polite, respectful to his superiors, wise beyond his age, happy, understanding._.. the thoughts ran around Shikamaru like crazy. The list went on and on to describe everything that made Uchiha Sousuke the person he was and is today. The things that made him Uchiha Sousuke...and not Uchiha Sasuke.

Still, it was hard to deny how similar the Uchiha father and son were. Especially that one alarming detail that Shikamaru knew was bound to replay itself again like déjà vu.

He let out a heavy sigh.

"This is getting troublesome..." He moaned quietly, glancing over the flowers. He smiled warmly.

"Ino...how can I keep hating the boy our daughter loves when he's so perfect for her?"

* * *

><p>"Nuuuu I can't believe I went up a size!"<p>

"Oh don't fuss over it too much! Just go on a diet!"

"I can't! Everytime I diet, I always crack when I see cookies! Ne, Shikana-chan, how do you stay so slim?"

"Eh?" Shikana perked up, her attention now returned back to her friends. They were in the fitting room, trying out various clothes while her mind drifted to another memory.

"I asked how you stay so slim, Shikana! I'm so jealous!" her red-headed friend whined.

"I just train and eat healthy, that's all," Shikana answered warmly to her friends. "It's not intentional."

"But, but, you don't have any bulky muscles! And how can it be so simple for you? I'm so jealous!"

Shikana chuckled. "It's okay, Mai-chan. I'm sure your boyfriend still thinks you're beautiful no matter what."

"Well, that's because he's not much of a looker himself," her friend answered haughtily. "Unlike that Uchiha Sousuke."

"Oh my god, he's so fine! And super nice! The other day, he helped me and my grandma carry some the groceries home! He was so sweet!" Her other friend Tomoya squealed dreamily.

"Oh shut up! He helps _everybody_! It's like his second nature!" Mai scowled in jealousy.

"But he's helped my grandma so many times! Maybe he's trying to get closer to me through her? Ahhh, it would be so romantic!" Tomoya giggled before sitting next to Shikana very closely. "Ne, ne, Shika-chan, you'll help me get with Sousuke-kun, right? I mean, you _are_ his best friend! Set us up on a date!"

"I-I um..." Shikana blushed very madly, her tone nervous and unsettling.

"Oh, come on, Shikana-chan!" Tomoyo whined childishly. "You need to put in a good word about me to Sousuke-kun! He always listens to you! Pretty please?"

"W-w-well, the thing is, S-S-Sousuke-kun and I haven't-"

"EEK! A BIRD!"

Shikana turned around, seeing her friend Mai jump up and down at the sight of a small hawk landing on a chair. She looked at it closely, instantly recognizing it.

_That bird..._

Quickly, Shikana whistled to it, motioning the hawk to come over. It's dark eyes saw her and flew over, softly landing in her delicate hands. It looked up to her sternly.

"Report to Uchiha-taichou's office as soon as possible," the hawk spoke.

Shikana raised an eyebrow. "Eh? What for?"

The hawk did not respond. It only flew away, leaving a very confused Nara Shikana behind.

* * *

><p>COMMENTARY! Okay, we are going in deeper, like DEEPER (Inception is taking over me lolol even though it was very last summer) into the subplot (or main plot for the present time) of the Sousuke and Shikana incident for their mission and relationship. Obviously, they're both in denial. I thought it should be Shikamaru's turn to tell a story since he's Shikana's father and it's about time we know how he feels about Sousuke as a potential suitor for his daughter. I didn't want to make him an overprotective monster because that would be too OOC for Shikamaru; he's more of the lazy type that rather just lets things happen no matter how displeased he is.<p>

For the SasuSaku story here, I thought it would be nice to see what Sasuke's like when Sakura's around. At first, it's meant to be a serious way to forward the two in the relationship but I wanted to add comedic touches through Shikamaru's commentary. For those wondering why I do the stories in first person: it's so I can put in my thoughts through the characters on the SasuSaku love. It's hard to do that in third person but if I speak through a character, we get people's thoughts on love and it becomes more personal. The message gets through more and plus, it's an easier way to put comedy because each character can voice their opinions to the fullest.

The beginning scene with Sousuke is a sneak peek and is crucial to the subplot. It may sound confusing right now, but as the plot furthers along and we discover the backstory to not only the mission, but the relationship between Sousuke and Sasuke, so everything gets cleared up! I have a bigger plot story behind this mission in store and I'm really excited to write more about it! I'm just going to say while the stories of SasuSaku in the past are going to be more comedic, the actually present storyline will take a more dramatic turn overall. It will have its humorous moments but whenever Sousuke's involved, turst me when I say that his storyline will be pretty dramatic since he's the "star" of this story aside from his parents.

So yeah, there's the jist! You guys have no idea how excited I am to keep writing this story! It's extending more than I thought! It's gotten so bad, I'm starting to neglect "Stubborn" QQ. Maybe I just respond to this story more. I'll continue writing both, though now I think I made "Stubborn" my side project now with this. So sad. I guess I'm more of a comedy person. I can't take too much seriousness.

So let's play a game! If you guys can guess correctly who the next person to tell the story is, I'll give a shoutout to you! story; it's the least I can for those who have stuck with me since the beginning (God, I'm so vain, acting like I'm popular XO)

So thank you for always reviewing!


	7. Shopping With An Uchiha

Chapter 6: Shopping With An Uchiha

CONGRATULATIONS to:

**Claudette14**

**Evil-Chibi-Tiffy**

**Your Avid Reader**

You guys got it right! and thanks for reviewing!

As for the rest, read to find out who! And I've answered your call people! I decided to include Sakura in this chapter (at last). I akways have trouble trying to involve Sakura in stories that I format like this because I usually lean toward focusing on how Sasuke is on romance. I know it's not much, but I hope this works for now! I'll try my best from now on to include Sakura in more, because she's vital to the SasuSaku romance too!

Okay, guys, just read in you're interested. Thanks!

* * *

><p>"Oh come on, okaasan," Kimiko whined to her mother. "You gotta want something from us!"<p>

Sakura sighed from her desk, scribbling the notes away on the various medical forms that lay before her. "Don't worry, Kimiko. I don't need much."

Her two children, Kimiko and Kenji, along with Naruto's daughter Nanako had visited her at work for that afternoon At first, Sakura was confused as it was rare for her kids (considering they were teenagers now) to visit her at work. Usually, Sousuke was always going on missions or Kimiko was always training or Kenji was wandering around the village.

Kimiko responded with a snort. "Demo, okaasan! Just ask us for it, and we'll get it! Niisan's got tons of money from his missions, so we don't have borrow from you guys! Besides, do you really think otousan actually has good things planned?"

"Of course he does," Sakura laughed warmly. "He just likes to surprise me-Ah, Kenji, don't touch those pills." Sakura immediately reached for the bottle and placed them at a higher shelf, away from her youngest son. He looked at her curiously, but dropped it instantly when he returned to staring a skeleton model in his mother's office.

"But okaasan! He doesn't even look like he cares about it! And don't say sex is a surprise!" Kimiko yelled desperately. "Just please tell us what you want from us! Breakfast in bed? No, I don't want to ruin your 'routine.' Bake a cake? Perform a skit? Or-"

"Kimiko, don't worry! Whatever you give to us will be perfect for me. Plus, I actually like my 'routine' with your father," Sakura replied, grinning.

"UGH PLEASE DON'T TURN INTO OTOUSAN!" Kimiko screeched, closing her ears immediately.

"Ah, okaachan! Is it okay if I draw a picture for you?" Kenji asked innocently. "I wanna draw a picture of you and otouchan together but it's okay if I have Chihiro-chan to help me, right? Because I dunno how to color inside the lines but she said she'll help me. I'm giving her tomatoes as a present because otousan said that's how you can say 'thank you' and I don't like tomatoes and she's never had them before back where's she from, but I don't remember where's she from because the name's too long and weird but but-"

"Hai, hai, Kenji," Sakura giggled, patting her son on the head. "Your father and I would love a picture from you."

"Yay!" Kenji cheered.

"Ne, ne, Sakura-bachan, tell us how Sasuke-jichan proposed to you!" Nanako exclaimed, taking a seat on the corner of Sakura's desk.

"Yeah, I would like to know that too!" Kimiko backed up. "When I asked otousan, he just went 'Oh, I bought a ring and asked your mother and she said yes and we got married.' I mean, what the hell?"

Sakura laughed. "First, Kimiko: Don't cuss in front of your little brother. Second: even I know never to ask your father for a story; he's horrible at them. Its weird how worked up you are about_ my_ anniversary more than I am."

Kimiko made a strangling noise. However, she stopped upon glancing at the clock, realizing the time. She squeaked.

"Ah, Nanako-chan! The mall's already open! Let's go drop Kenji off fast then head there! I wanna get to that sale before that Ami-bitch takes what I like!" Kimiko exclaimed.

"Sou ya! I forgot all about that!" Nanako gasped. She leaned over the desk to hug Sakura. "Bye, Sakura-bachan!"

Kimiko and Kenji followed suit, hugging their mother tightly for a few seconds before saying their goodbye, closing the door behind them quickly. Sakura smiled, her jade eyes looking at all the spots where the children used to be just a moment ago.

She really did spend a lot of time at the hospital. Sakura couldn't help it; it was very busy lately. It was only right for her as the head to stay behind a bit longer to keep everything in check. In time she will get her break.

Suddenly, she felt a familiar chakra perched on the window sill behind her. Sakura chuckled.

"Can't you ever just use the front door, Sasuke-kun?"

"Hn, it's faster this way."

Sasuke stepped down from the window, standing tall and proud in full ANBU uniform. Sakura noticed the red sash he wore around his waist every day, signifying his high status as the captain of a powerful group of ninjas in Konohagakure. In his hands was a sack with two bento boxes inside. He laid it gently on the desk, bending down to scoop his wife for a quick kiss.

"Why was booger girl annoying you about our anniversary?" Sasuke asked, leaning his forehead against Sakura's before recapturing her lips for another kiss.

"Does Kimiko have a reason to be worried?" Sakura shot back, grinning suspiciously in between kisses. "And stop caling our kids stupid names."

"Never," Sasuke chuckled darkly, wrapping his arms around Sakura's waist.

"Did you finish Kenji's Academy registration forms?" Sakura asked, another kiss coming.

"Almost."

"So you haven't started. Can you pick up the groceries today? There's been a change of date for somebody's surgery tonight."

"Fine. Same list or anything new?"

"Same list. Actually, Kimiko wants coconut water bottles." Another kiss.

"Is that little snot on a diet or something? That shit is expensive."

"Stop making fun of the kids. Besides, coconut water is good for exercise."

"I'll have dobe send her on a 6-month mission in the desert and see if she begs for coconut water then."

"Stop that, Sasuke-kun. Lunch smells good. What did you bring this time?"

"Got it at Naruto's. What's-her-name made extra for us."

"It's Hinata for the last time Sasuke-kun..."

"Hn."

"Honestly. how do you keep forgetting the name of your best friend's wife-Don't roll your eyes."

"I can't stay long for lunch; I arranged a meeting with Shikamaru's daughter and knowing her, she's bound to come by my office in a few minutes."

"She likes to be early. Is it about the ANBU exam?"

"And our idiotic son."

"She comes up in his nightmares, doesn't she?" Sakura asked, her voice taking a worried turn.

Sasuke nodded darkly.

* * *

><p><em>"No signs of any ninjas in the northern barrier, Uchiha."<em>

_"Neither the eastern forest."_

"Understood. Makoto, rebound to the southern areas. Shisido, concentrate on the forest; check for any signs of destroying evidence," Sousuke spoke through the radio.

His dark orbs glanced around his surroundings, double-checking for any possible enemy. When he sensed no nearby chakra, he jumped off the branch from tree to tree. His eyes never stopped scanning.

Something was definitely strange. There had been reports from previous missions of sightings of spies, even some captives, for the last few months. But right now...it was too quiet. Much too calm for Sousuke. Even if Konohagakure was a peaceful village and hadn't been in war for over twenty years, spies were always around. Sure, they were from the smaller villages, but the fact that there were none today worried Sousuke.

Suddenly, Sousuke paused at a branch. There was ruffling within the bushes underneath him. Sousuke's hands reached for the hit of his sword, hoping he wouldn't have to use it.

Sousuke relaxed instantly upon realizing it was just a snake. He sighed, withdrawing his hand from his sword. Just as Sousuke was about to patrol again, he noticed something very strange about the snake: It was white. A pure white, albino snake. And deadly, yellow eyes. Sousuke stared at it curiously. He had never seen white snakes around here, let alone during springtime.

And yet for some reason, Sousuke felt like this was not the first time he had seen a white snake before. A chill was sent to his spine, though he was unsure why.

_"There had been sightings of Sound-nins around,_" Sousuke recalled Shikamaru mentioning to him.

_"One of Orochimaru's followers is now their Otokage, stirring up some trouble again. It's best not to interfere with Sound until we have a good idea what they're up to._"

_Okaasan said that Orochimaru's summoning were snakes...that his true form was a giant white snake because he experimented with his body for immortality. But otousan killed him; no one else uses white snakes. So what has Sound been up to?_

* * *

><p>"AHA! I knew that Ami-bitch would take all the outfits I wanted!" Kimiko screamed angrily through the mob of women at the shopping mall.<p>

They had arrived at the local mall for a huge sale but unfortunately, half the female population in Konohagakure was also here. Kimiko had been a dangerous missions before, but they were nothing compared to women at a shopping mall.

Next to her, Nanako pouted and crossed her arms against her chest. "If only I could Rasengan that evil witch. We seriously need more time off from missions so we can go shopping when there's _nobody_ here."

Kimiko scowled. "Now I'll never get what I want unless freakin' Ami suddenly has a change of heart and buys them for me-"

"Looking for this?" interrupted a familiar voice.

Both teenage girls turned around, eyes widening. Kimiko gasped at the sight of the clothes that she had been searching everywhere for. The clothes were in the hands of a blond woman whose hair was tied neatly in a bun. She had brilliant blue eyes and pale skin, wearing a purple kimono. Nara Ino smiled at them mischievously.

"Ino-bachan!" Nanako squealed, immediately hugging her. Kimiko followed suit.

"Oh my god, Ino-basan thank you, thank you, thank you! How did you do it?" Kimiko asked loudly. Ino laughed as the two girls released her from their bear hug.

"Don't underestimate my Mind techniques, Kimiko," Ino chuckled wickedly. Kimiko grinned. Her Aunt Ino probably had seen Ami with the clothes and possessed her. It was amazing how store security never caught Ino, considering this was a ninja village.

Ino handed the bag of clothes to Kimiko while giving a thumbs up. " I saw you eyeing for this a week ago. Don't worry, it's my treat. Actually, who wants some smoothies?" She suggested delightfully.

"Oh my god, why are you so cool, Ino-basan?" Kimiko was more than ready to burst in tears of happiness as they three walked over to the nearest cafe and sat down at an empty table.

"What else can I do for my best friend's beautiful daughter? Plus, Shikana's so busy lately with missions it's so hard to spend time with her," Ino sighed. "I regret letting her become a jonin, no time with me anymore. And I have nobody to talk to now that Chomaru is in the Academy and Shikamaru's always working. Mou, Nanako, tell your stupid father to stop making my husband work like crazy!"

"But Shikana-senpai gets more time with Sousuke-niichan," Nanako suggested slyly. "They go on a lot of missions together..."

"I KNOW!" Ino squealed in delight. "Imagine that, my daughter with _the_ Uchiha Sousuke-Don't take it too much, Kimiko-but can you believe that? I mean, between you and me, I used to have this huge crush on your father back in the day before I realized your parents were _perfect_ for each other! Embarassing, right? I mean, I love your Uncle Shikamaru and all, but Shikana is my REDEMPTION to getting an Uchiha! And your mother and I can finally be sisters! Oh my god, I just can't wait until they get married!"

Kimiko and Nanako laughed. They knew their Aunt Ino was obsessed with Shikana's love life, especially since it concerned a certain Uchiha.

"Ne, Ino-bachan, what do Sakura-bachan and Sasuke-jichan like?" Nanako asked.

"That's right! I asked my mom what she wanted for her anniversary, but she tells me anything's fine when I know it's not!" Kimiko exclaimed in an exasperated tone. "Obviously, the old man isn't going to make much of an effort!"

At this, Ino laughed loudly. Kimiko and Nanako exchanged odd looks, noticing that Ino was laughing harder than usually. The waiter came by with their smoothies, which Ino sipped gently. She laid it down, her hands clasped together as she smiled widely.

"Oh I should have expected this, Kimiko!" Ino said. "But don't worry! I hear your father's been doing a splendid job lately! At least, he's a lot better than their first anniversary. God, that man was so stupid when it came to love! I swear, for their first anniversary, if he didn't come ask me for help on what to get for your mother, they would have **NEVER** lasted!"

Both Kimiko and Nanako had their jaws practically drop to the floor. They stood up simultaneously, slamming their fists on the table, nearly causing their smoothies to fall.

"TELL US! NOW! IMMEDIATELY!" Nanako demanded.

"I KNEW HE WAS PATHETIC IN THIS!" Kimiko hollered.

"Now, now, Kimiko, you're father is actually a very romantic man to your mother," Ino reminded with a smile. "But you know, he wasn't always like that..."

* * *

><p>You can only imagine my surprise when I was out shopping at this very mall over twenty years ago when your father approached me and bluntly said in his coldest but very desperate voice:<p>

"I need your help finding an anniversary gift for Sakura."

Trust me: I was drinking a nice glass of iced lemon tea and nearly choked on it when your father asked me for help. At first, I was like "OMG UCHIHA SASUKE NEEDS _MY_ HELP?" I really wanted to embarrass his reputation. At the same time, I felt very honored that he came to me-yes, me, your mother's best friend-for help on their love life. It was SUPER sweet (only if you cut out the fact that he actually asked help from Hinata, Tenten, Tsunade, and even that blockhead Naruto first because that's petty information).

Anyway, I decided to drag your father along on my shopping trip since, well, I was looking for clothes and might as well take him along to look for anniversary stuff. Plus, he made a reluctant but excellent bag holder since Shikamaru was away at a mission during that time. Now, girls, I'm all for finding your true love and all when you get a boyfriend but let me just say that it's okay to get boyfriends just so they can hold your bags, give up their jackets to you, and pay for dinner every time. True love can wait; experiment with a few boys first to just hold your purse. You'll get married eventually.

Now, I thought that Sasuke would have a pretty damn good idea of what he wanted to get. Or at least, a theme for it. But goodness, he was DREADFUL. I took him to the jewelry store that was super popular for couples. It had the prettiest, sparkly rings and necklaces and earrings everywhere. Basically, it was a girl's heaven for jewelry. But your father didn't see it. Because we only lasted in that store for two minutes because he didn't understand the concept of why girls like jewelry.

I seriously wanted to whack your father in the face because he sounded so dumb.

I mean, I would pull up a random necklace and he would just make a face and go "...why?" Awful, Sasuke, awful. I couldn't believe I used to have fantasies of having your father as my boyfriend and he would take my shopping and he would say everything was beautiful. Now that I did, I never wanted to go shopping with him again. Not even to find anniversary presents for your mother.

That was the first and last time I would go shopping with Uchiha Sasuke. The only thing your father was good for was carrying all my shopping bags (Okay, so we spent half the time looking for my needs, but hey, I needed my moment so I wouldn't crack under your father's lack of knowing how to romance your poor mother).

And just convincing him to buy anything was a horrible experience. I mean, after shopping with your father, I started to appreciate Shikamaru more because Sasuke made him look fun.

No joke: this was what our typical conversation every moment I tried to convince him something was going to be the perfect present for Sakura.

I pull up a fabulous dress. "Look, Sasuke! Wouldn't Sakura be super sexy in this dress? Oh, she could be the hottest girl in the village with this number!"

Sasuke: "...How?"

I show him a figurine of two doves. "Oh my god, you have to get this for Sakura! The doves are a symbol of love!"

Sasuke: "...That's dumb."

We go to the craft store. "Hey, Sasuke! You should make a bouquet of origami flowers! It's original and sweet!"

Sasuke: "...That's pathetic."

I show him a super, expensive ring. "You know what would make her super happy? Propose her with this gorgeous ring! It matches her eyes super well!"

Sasuke: "...No."

I even managed to drag him to a lingerie store and pulled up the riskiest costume I could find that would suit Sakura. "Ne, ne, Sasuke, wouldn't you love to see Sakura in this? It could stir up so good nights..."

Sasuke: "...What a waste of money."

"THIS IS NOT A WASTE OF MONEY! AND YOU'RE RICH!"

Your father's excuse? "I'm just gonna rip it off of her anyway."

"OH MY GOD I CAN'T EVEN-"

At the time, I had no idea your father had perverted imaginations.

Basically, it was just a miserable experience. Not because I thought shopping alone was ten times better than with your father, but because I started to grow worried whether my best friend's anniversary will actually go well. I mean, your mother had waited years to be with your father. She had loved him when nobody else could. She loved him when everybody thought it was impossible. Sure, girls fantasized over him, but they really just wanted him for a one-night stand or whatever skanky thing they're up to. Your mother truly wanted to be with him for the rest of her life. And the fact that your father wasn't putting much of an effort in it...Well, it disappointed me greatly.

I mean, every time I showed him something, he just looked really irritated. Seriously, he should appreciate that I'm actually helping him when I shouldn't because I rather be testing makeup or even playing shogi with Shikamaru if he was here, but NO. It was my commitment as Sakura's best friend to help her stupid boyfriend find something good for their first anniversary.

Because frankly, your father sucked.

When I thought all hope was lost, your father stopped us at a book store. At first, I imitated him and was like "_Why_?" but he really insisted. Sure, your mother liked reading books, but I think that's something for her birthday, not for their first anniversary. But when I saw that Sasuke was actually taking an initiative in the store, I just had to follow. Now, where did he head to?

The cookbook section.

I have to admit: I was really puzzled. I mean, why would Sasuke, out of all the things he could get, buy a freaking cookbook for Sakura? She already knows how to cook. Really well, I should add. I was about to scream that it was the dumbest present for your mother until I saw him grab a beginner's cookbook and flip through it. And actually _read_ a few pages. And _stare_ at the pictures.

Then, realization hit me: Your father was trying to cook for your mother. For the first time. On their first anniversary.

And I just remember how I wanted to beat up myself a little bit for not even thinking about something like that. I mean, here I was, dragging your father around to find material things for your mother because I didn't think he could do any better. During that whole time, I thought he saw it mainly as a duty or something forced on him, like he rather not be dealing with the anniversary.

I should have known my best friend better; your mother didn't want material things from your father. She wanted him to express his love for her, even if it was only once a year. Your mother was so strong, being able to withstand the Uchiha Sasuke as a boyfriend.

And here he was, trying to make her the happiest girl. Even if he had to suck up his stupid pride and resort to a cookbook.

Okay, like seriously, there were people snickering at your father because it's the Uchiha Sasuke.

At a bookstore.

Staring at a cookbook.

Because even if he could kill at the super bad ninjas around the world, he couldn't cook for his life.

But your father should thank me, because I did save his damn pride. I snatched that cookbook away from him, told him not to buy it, and insisted that Choji and I teach him how to make eggs for breakfast.

Actually, the way he was glaring at me, I thought he wanted to deal with the expensive cookbook than with me. It's no secret that he hated me during that whole shopping trip.

And to this day because, well...let's just say I put him in an awkward situation 17 years ago. ANYHOO!

He obliged because he actually spent four whole days with me and Choji, learning how to make eggs. I know your father's so amazing at being an ANBU Captain and a super ninja with his scary Sharingan. But he should just stay in the battlefield.

Because he sucks in the kitchen. I mean, it's not very hard to crack eggs, but he makes it look like you need a high IQ. He didn't just crack the egg; he shattered the shell into millions of pieces and the yolk splattered all over the sink. God he was horrible. And you don't even want to know what happens when we turn on the gas for the stove.

But it wasn't hard to clean since Choji was brave enough to eat all the failed attempts (they were horrible. I thought it was poison).

I'm sure that during those four days in the kitchen, he rather be on a deadly mission. But I think the only reason he actually dealt with his was because he was doing this for your mother. I mean, I think he thought that this was the most meaningful way to show that he cared about her. That maybe it was okay for your mother to sleep in while he made her breakfast instead of vice versa. She had always been there for him. This was probably the closest way he can prove he'll be there for her too. That she could count on him.

Well, count on him to be capable of doing nice things. Not executing a brilliant breakfast. The day of their first anniversary together, Sakura had told our whole gang that Sasuke made an amazing breakfast and only confessed that it was tasted horrible when your father left the girls alone. But I'm sure the gesture satisfied your mother, because that whole day, she was smiling like never before. She practically glowed. I thought she was the happiest person in the world.

So it was final: The only reason you, Kimiko, and the rest of your siblings exist is because I attempted to teach your father how to make eggs. Just call me their relationship savior.

* * *

><p>"There you have it! Your welcome for leading your parents to becoming married," Ino joked. "I would do anything for your mother's happiness, even if your father never thanked me for wasting four days of my precious life to teach him how to make stupid eggs and all the times I helped him for anything dealing with your mother..."<p>

Kimiko and Nanako giggled. Of course their Aunt Ino would say such things about Sasuke.

"But, Ino-bachan, I think it was sweet that he tried, right Kimi-chan?" Nanako faced her best friend.

Kimiko stiffened. "I guess..." She was reluctant to believe any of it. "Okay, so the old man actually tries. Why doesn't he do it in front of us? I mean, isn't it healthy for kids to see some romance between their parents?"

"Considering that your father has been tainted and does naughty things according to your mother..." Ino began, sipping her smoothie. "...I think it's better for you guys not to witness it."

There was an awkward silence. For a while.

"True that."

"I'm with you."

Kimiko sighed loudly. "Still, this doesn't tell me what I should get for them. Sure, I'm starting to believe otousan will do something, but niisan, Kenji, and I wanna do something special for them too. I just don't know..."

Ino smiled warmly. "You'll figure it out. I know you will, Kimiko. It'll come before you'll even know it."

Kimiko hoped Ino was telling the truth.

* * *

><p>Sasuke stared lazily at the papers that laid before him on the desk, the sentence repeating in his head over and over again.<p>

_List any medical conditions or diseases your child currently has. _Sasuke was extremely tempted to list "extremely loud," "hyperactive like a certain Hokage," "possible insanity without his stupid bunny," and "unable to shut up" underneath. It matched Kenji perfectly.

"Stupid Academy forms," Sasuke mumbled.

He had no idea that it took over 20 pages work of registration forms just so his youngest could go to Konoha Academy. He had done this twice with Sousuke and Kimiko; however, Sasuke swore that each time, there were more forms to sign. Even joining ANBU required less than this.

His eyes swayed from the forms for a bit when he heard a knock on the door.

"Enter," he stated sternly.

The door opened and a brunette teenage girl entered. She closed the door gently behind her and bowed before him.

"Good afternoon, Uchiha-taichou," Shikana greeted politely.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Am I not your godfather anymore or something?"

Shikana giggled. "Iie, Sasuke-jisan. I just hear stories of how scary you can be when people don't call you that."

"You're one of the exceptions," Sasuke reminded in a bored tone, his eyes returning to the forms again.

Shikana smiled and took a seat in front of him. "Ano, Sasuke-jisan? Can you tell me how you became my godfather?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and scowled, earning him a chuckle from the girl in front of him. "Again?"

"It's funny when you tell it," Shikana said. "Because you're so grumpy about it."

Sasuke glared at her, but she wasn't scared. In fact, Sasuke was always impressed that Nara Shikana was the only child from all his friends that wasn't scared of it. He sighed in defeat.

"I had come back from a tiring one-week mission in ANBU and all I wanted to do was go home to my wife and that brat Sousuke who was only a few months old," Sasuke began in an annoyed tone, his eyebrows cringing.

"I was the only unlucky bastard nearby when your mother's water decided to explode and forced me to take her to the stupid hospital. Then my wife forced me to stay in the labor room with your mother until we found your father taking a nap or watching clouds or something idiotic. Then she forces me to be your godfather because I went through one of the worst 6 hours of my life helping your obnoxious mother and I couldn't say 'no' or else your Aunt Sakura would have been pissed. Happy?"

Shikana nodded, but couldn't hold back from snickering. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, his eyes darkening immediately.

"I don't see how this is funny," he muttered.

"Sorry," Shikana apologized lightly, smiling. "It's just...you sound pissed at becoming my godfather yet you lecture me when I don't treat you like one."

Sasuke frowned. "You're weirder than my own daughter."

Shikana was unsure of how to respond to that. Sasuke took advantage of the silence.

"So, what's this I've been hearing about Sousuke getting you pregnant with my future grandchild-"

"Sasuke-jisan!" Shikana yelled, her face blushing madly. "T-T-That's n-n-n-not t-t-true!"

"I'm joking," Sasuke replied in a monotone. "You don't even have the signs."

Shikana had a sweat drop.

"You're scary when you make jokes, Sasuke-jisan."

"Hn."

Shikana's face still burned red, her eyes unable to look at her godfather. Sasuke only studied the girl's reaction carefully, noticing something very strange about the way she immediately covered herself up in her arms. As if protecting herself from something. Or anything really. Sasuke's face hardened.

"So the nightmares were true."

Shikana's eyes widened, looking at the ANBU Captain in front of her immediately. She looked slightly frantic.

"N-Nightmares? Y-Y-You mean, S-S-Sousuke-k-kun-" Shikana was at a loss of words. Sasuke nodded, understanding what she was trying to figure out.

It was at this point that Sasuke sat up straighter in his chair. He crossed his arms against his chest, looking more demanding than his position called him for.

"I know what happened to you and Sousuke," Sasuke started in a stern voice. To Shikana, he suddenly looked as frightening as a demon. "And honestly, it was very immature of you two to keep it a secret from us, especially considering the emotional toll it's taking on you and my son. Sousuke refuses to tell me anything about it and he's paying the price. Can you live with that, knowing very well how he is with nightmares?"

Shikana suddenly felt frozen at the spot, unable to bear her godfather's hard glare on her. The worst part was that she was waiting for any moment for his Sharingan to appear any moment, as if to frighten her more. But he didn't. There was something about his eyes that although they were harsh and cold, they had a deep need to help his son, Sousuke, in need. Sasuke resumed.

"I don't care how it happened or whose fault it is; all I want is the whole story and why you two kept it a secret. This is not something you should hide, especially from your parents knowing how worried your mother can be. I don't believe that a man like your father would raise you to keep these things to yourself."

Shikana stared at him, wide-eyed, hesitating to open her mouth. She fiddled with her fingers, hoping to release some of the tension. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, reliving the incident in her mind.

With her eyes threatening to spill tears, Nara Shikana nodded and recited everything to him.

* * *

><p>AHHH DRAMA WITHIN A HAPPY STORY? WHAT? Yeah, I'm not sure how I led to it either, but I'm glad you guys like it! The responses to the subplot have been really positive, which makes me happy! I think it's becoming a scene stealer since all you guys can only obsess about the kids' story now haha. It's actually going to get even bigger and more important than you think as the story progresses. Actually, I think you guys are more into the kids' story because you don't know what's going to happen to them. For Sasuke and Sakura, you know they end up happily ever after; you're just curious how it happened.<p>

Commentary for the SasuSaku romance (if anybody is still paying attention to it LOL):

Good job to those who figured out it was Ino! I think I made it obvious because the couples tend to get right after each other. I made it a shopping story because I always pictured Ino as this girly-girl but does anything in her power to help her friends. Also, it's funny imagining Sasuke being really irritated with Ino. I don't think she's afraid to tell Sasuke what he's doing wrong, especially since he's dating her best friend. I wrote it this way because I thought Ino would dedicate the most time to helping Sasuke make her best friend happy. That's why I found it fitting for Sasuke to become the godfather to Ino's daughter; I think that was Sasuke's way of saying "thank you" to Ino for all the help. Sure, the story climating to him being godfather is somewhat silly and he's grumpy about it, but I think Sasuke knows what it means to pay back the respect and that's how he does it.

Kimiko still acts close to a typical teenage girl, but I didn't want her to be outrageous like all about training or being a ninja. I mean, she's a teenage girl. Being an Uchiha shouldn't change anything. Maybe she doesn't obsess about clothes and boys as much as other girls, but she does care to a certain limit. I think that's how most girls are. Plus, at least she's strong.

Damn, I need to stop neglecting "Stubborn." I think that ended up as the side-project instead of this :O

That's all I have to say. So let's continue the game! Can you guess who's the next to tell the tale? Once again, shoutouts to those who guess it correctly!

Here's a hint: Jeet Kune Do


	8. The Protector of Konoha's Great Love

Chapter 7: The Protector of Konoha's Great Love

CONGRATULATIONS TO:

**dotwiper**

**AnimeAshley**

**TheGirlWhoIsInLoveWithJapan**

**SweetAngels123**

**Itstimetowakeup**

**mednin**

**ghie-chan**

**ImmaBeForever**

**Morte Cacciatore**

**Evil-Chibi-Tiffy**

**Claudette14**

**Pookie Boo**

You guys guessed it right! The rest just have to read to find out! Because so many of you got it, the hints will now be harder ( I hope LOL). Anyway, enjoy!

By the way, if anybody ever needs a visual interpretation for the new characters, I set up a deviantart account and draw them all. They're only sketches, nothing fancy. I really did them in just one go so the proportions and shading are not up to par since I'm no artists; it's just a hobby. I plan to use it to do a full biography on the characters like it's a wikia page or something in the future. I have a lot of information on the characters that I doubt I can put into the story, so the deviantart account works perfectly! My account name is Nakoujou again so if any of you guys are interested, check it out!

* * *

><p>It had been hours since Sousuke and his team began patrolling the borders of Konohagakure, yet he had yet to feel tired at all. Evening had already dawned, but Sousuke refused to stop the mission until night came. He still felt in full energy, barely wasting any chakra for a simple run-through of the village. His teammates had probably circled around the village at least five times, yet everything was too quiet. Something was definitely not right.<p>

And then, it came.

Sousuke landed lightly on the ground, his hand immediately grabbing his sword. He pulled it out and with a swift turn, twirled it in front of him. The wave of kunais thrown at him didn't even reach his face; his sword deflected them all. The kunais fell to the ground weakly.

As his sword stopped spinning, Sousuke glanced behind him, ducking a punch. He flipped himself around, throwing a kick at the enemy in the process. The enemy cursed loudly, but before he could make another move, Sousuke had already hit his neck, knocking the enemy unconscious. As the enemy fell down to the ground, Sousuke took a closer look at his forehead protector, recognizing the infamous music note etched into the metal.

"So Sound is here..." Sousuke grunted to himself.

He could feel more presences of chakra coming. Probably five others at the max. He wasn't surprised at this. It made sense to sneak up on him after a long day of just jumping around, hoping he would waste his chakra. Unfortunately, those spies had no idea what they were expecting.

All five of the enemy spies charged at Sousuke, surrounding him in the middle. But the young Uchiha did not even bulge. Rather, he smirked. When the five spies closed in on him, they immediately rebounded as a sphere of lightning surrounded Sousuke. Sousuke scanned at his enemies, each and every one of them paralyzed. He noticed one attempting to escape, but Sousuke was one step ahead.

At the slightest movement of the enemy, Sousuke immediately brought his hand up, causing all the spies to fling backwards against a tree trunk. The spies gasped in shock at the appearance of steel strings strapping them to the tree, something that hadn't noticed until then. Sparks of blue lightning trailed from Sousuke's fingers, down the strings, and to the enemies, electrocuting them. They all screamed in pain until falling unconscious.

Realizing that he had defeated his enemies, Sousuke stopped the chidori flow in the strings. He peered to his radio, turning it on.

"Makoto, Shisido, get over to the western side immediately. I'm in the forest, 600 km from the border, and I have five Sound spies with me. We need to take them in for interrogation," Sousuke stated calmly through his radio.

Before he could even get a response, he heard a sly, haunting voice. As if from a nightmare.

"You really do live up to your reputation...Sousuke-kun..."

Sousuke's eyes widened, pulling up his sword in front of him. Before him appeared a cloaked figure, his hood covering half his face. However, Sousuke could easily see this person was wearing a white mask, covering his true face. The mask was the form of a snake head, the eyeholes slit to appear sinister. The figure wore metal gauntlets, unusual for a standard ninja. Each step he took was loud and heavy and for some reason, Sousuke believed this was not the first time he came face to face with this person. But he couldn't pinpoint where.

"A child of an Uchiha...refusing to kill his enemies, even when his life is at risk..." he hissed evilly. "So strange for that to happen...considering who your father is..."

Sousuke's grip on his sword tighten. "Maybe it's more fun to torture than kill."

"Ah...but we all know that's not who you really are, Sousuke-kun...My, you haven't changed..."

Sousuke felt his heart stop, his eyes realizing the inevitable. In a second, he had rammed the figure straight into a nearby tree, his sword directly against his enemy's neck. "Who the hell are you?" he snarled, activating his Sharingan.

The mysterious ninja only chuckled, not even threatened by Sousuke's gesture. "What's this? You don't remember me? Well, you were only a little boy...a scared little boy...who had no idea what potential his sharingan carried..."

Sousuke deepened his sword into his neck, spilling tiny drops of blood onto the cloak. "Stop making up this stupid crap before I have to really kill you."

"Do you expect anyone to believe you, whose ninja way is to never take a life? Very ironic," the enemy taunted. "But...hearing that you had your first kill in Snow Country...I believe I should be more careful with my words..."

Sousuke threw a punch at the enemy, but his hand went straight through, as if in a blur. The enemy chuckled. Sousuke cursed.

"Genjutsu," He muttered under his breath. He should have expected this.

The figure disappeared into a warp, only to reappear across from Sousuke. They were surrounded no longer by the luscious green trees or the bushes; instead, it appeared as if a red sky had appeared around.

"Now tell me Sousuke-kun..." the enemy's voice echoed, his figure appearing behind Sousuke. "...what could possibly force you to break your way?"

The masked figure immediately found himself ensnarled by black vines sprouted from the ground. The vines wrapped around him, trapping him within. The vines grew larger as the enemy struggled out of it. Tiny thorns began to prickle into the enemy's skin, causing pain even by the tiniest scratch.

"Oh...so you tricked me, setting up the genjutsu the moment your sword touched me," he commented. "Very clever...Even for an Uchiha..."

Sousuke did not even turn to look. "What the hell do you want with me?"

And out of nowhere, Sousuke felt the metal gauntlet reach for his head, tightening into a death grip.

_Impossible! He can't touch me in my genju-_ Sousuke couldn't finish his thoughts, for his mind quickly went blank.

* * *

><p>Armed with only his bunny toy and a picture he just drew, Uchiha Kenji wandered around the village, looking for his friend. He had been looking all afternoon for his friend, even at the place she was staying. The sun was nearly setting, and Kenji knew he always had to be back home before dinner or else his siblings would eat all his food. He shivered at the thought of his worst fear. Then, his stomache growled. Kenji pouted.<p>

"Ah, I want food..." He groaned innocently, pulling up so that his bunny faced him. "Ne, Pochi, what should I do? I want to go home for food but I want to find Chihiro-chan to help me color."

And just in time, his eyes blinked at the sight before him. A couple feet away was a small girl, around his age, with flaming red hair and big green eyes. She wore a peach sundress and pale sandals. She was backed up against a wall, crouching slightly as she looked up slightly terrified. In front of her were two boys, probably a few years older than her, towering over her. They grinned tauntingly, cracking their knuckles.

"What's wrong, princess? You look a little lost," the tall, skinny one teased.

"Yeah, you look like you need directions for a beat-up!" The short, fat one taunted.

The little girl brought her hands up to her face, covering her eyes. "P-P-Please, d-d-don't hurt me."

"CHIHIRO-CCCCHHHHAAAANNNNN!"

The three of them all turned, surprised, at the sight of Kenji running to the girl. Instantly, the two bullies panicked.

"Ack! T-T-T-T-T-That's-"

"The ANBU C-C-C-Captain's s-s-s-son-"

"D-D-Darnit, i-i-if he t-t-tells on us-"

"W-W-We're d-d-doomed-"

"Ne, ne, Chihiro-chan, how come you didn't tell me you made new friends?" Kenji asked excitedly, oblivious to the actual situation. The two bullies nearly fainted in shock, not believing how dumb Kenji could be.

Chihiro stared at her friend, horrified. "U-Um, K-K-Kenji-k-kun, they're not-"

"Doing anything WRONG! Right, Chihiro-_chan_?" The tall one finished quickly, growling out the last part. Chihiro squeaked, scared of what would happen.

"Yeah, yeah, we were just uh, going to take her to buy candy!" The fat one continued the lie, laughing nervously. "I-I-it's not like w-w-we were bullying her or going to b-beat her up or anything! Hahaha!"

Kenji stared at them curiously. The two bullies backed away slightly, scared of what was to come or if he would call their bluff. Chihiro, too frightened to get involved again, didn't say anything. She only hid behind Kenji.

Then, Kenji broke into a huge smile. "Okay!"

The bullies' jaws dropped to the ground. They turned to stare at each in other in disbelief, the same thought running through their mind: _Stupidest Uchiha EVER._

"Ne, ne, Chihiro-chan, when you're done getting candy, do you wanna help me color? I don't know how to color inside the lines and neechan's shopping and niichan's on a mission so they can't help me," Kenji rambled on, shoving the picture right in front of Chihiro's face. "Oh, and we can go to my house because otouchan bought me a huge box of crayons and we can have dinner! Oh, can we go to your place? I wanna see it! Oh, how was shopping with your Aunt Tem yesterday? Was it fun? Did you buy anything cool? Oh, I'm hungry, can you buy me some sweets too? Actually, can I come with you-"

"Hey, Kenji! Let's play a game! It's called 'Count to 100 and Close Your Eyes!'" suggested the tall bully nervously as he grabbed Chihiro's shoulder fiercely.

"Y-Y-Yeah! W-Whoever gets to 100 first wins!" continued the fat one, the two of them slowly backing away.

"Ah, K-Kenji-kun..." Chihiro spoke up nervously.

"OKAY!" Kenji replied eagerly, his hands blocking his eyes. Before he even realized the actual situation of about to be taken away to a secluded area for a good beat-up, he started counting loudly. "1-2-3-4-5-6-"

"FLYING LOTUS KICK!" screamed a loud, hyper voice.

Kenji immediately uncovered his eyes upon hearing the familiar voice. Shocked, he saw the two boys on the ground, unconscious, and bruises growing on their foreheads. Chihiro stood to the side, her hands covering her mouth in shock. They turned to stare at the arrival of a boy, no older than ten, in a green jumpsuit and orange leg warmers. He had dark hair, the shape of a bowl cut, and giant eyebrows. He whipped around to face the two kids, flashing a bright smile and a thumbs up.

"I will always be here to protect the youth of Konohagakure!" Proclaimed the young boy.

Kenji had a giant smile on his face. "Gaito-senpai!"

Kenji ran up to Gaito, followed by Chihiro. "Ne, ne, Gaito-senpai, why did you beat up those boys?" Kenji asked curiously.

"Kenji-kouhai, as much as I despise violence, I had to use it to protect your friend! She was in danger of being bullied and I could not step aside and just witness!" Gaito exclaimed, pouncing his chest. Kenji's eyes widened as turned to stare at Chihiro.

"You were being bullied?" Kenji asked, horrified. Before Chihiro could even reply, Kenji screamed. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?"

Chihiro blushed. "I-I'm s-sorry, Kenji-kun, I-I-I was too scared that you were going to get hurt too..."

"Do not ever fear, miss! I shall always be around to protect my young kouhai from harm, right?" Gaito declared, looking down at Kenji. Kenji only nodded excitedly.

"Yep! Yep! Ne, Chihiro-chan, can you help me color?" Kenji asked innocently.

"Sure!" Chihiro agreed, smiling. "But I can't go back; otouchan's in a meeting right now."

"WHAT'S THIS? MY YOUNG KOUHAI IS IN A SITUATION?" Gaito gasped. "NEVER FEAR FOR I WILL HAPPILY OFFER MY HOUSE AND CRAYONS TO HELP YOU, KENJI-KUN!"

"YAY! Thank you, Gaito-senpai!" Kenji cheered, jumping up and down in joy.

"Anything for you, kouhai!" Gaito exclaimed, tears threatening to burst from his eyes.

And so, Gaito led Kenji and Chihiro all the way to his home. He opened the front door and all three stepped in, kicking their shoes off. as they made their way to the living room, they saw a tall male figure standing by the window. He was practically the adult version of Gaito, with bowl-cut dark hair, bushy eyebrows, and a green jumpsuit. The only difference was this man wore a flak jacket that all the jonins and chuunins wore.

"Lee-sensei!" Kenji greeted loudly. "Konbanwa!" Kenji knew that Gaito's father was one of the jonins in charge of the new genin teams. Kenji always hoped that one day, after he graduated from the Konoha Academy, he would either have Lee-sensei for his teacher. If not, he was more than okay with Tenten-sensei, his other brother's teacher.

Rock Lee turned around, flashing a brilliant smile. "Kenji-kun! What a surprise to see you in my house! And who is this new girl?"

Chihiro smiled, bowing politely. "Konbanwa, I'm Chihiro."

"Pleasure to meet you, Chihiro!"

Gaito bowed. "Otousan! I have brought them over to help accomplish their task to color! Am I allowed to lend them my crayons?"

"Why must you ever ask! Of course you can! You must help them with anything that promotes the springtime of youth!" Lee proclaimed, throwing a fist in the air.

"Yay! Thank you, Lee-sensei!" replied Kenji cheerfully. Gaito ran upstairs to retrieve his crayons, leaving him and Chihiro to sit on the couch with Lee. Kenji pulled out his picture, showing it to Chihiro. On that piece of paper were two figures standing next to each other, a woman and a man.

"Ah you're really good, Kenji-kun!" Chihiro commented.

"Thank you! It's my otouchan and okaachan! They're having their annivercakeries soon!" Kenji replied. "You can draw my okaachan! She has pink hair, which is weird because we all have black hair like my otouchan! Oh, she has green eyes too! I dunno why we don't have it, but otouchan said that okaachan has the prettiest eyes he's ever seen, so make it extra sparkly! And and-"

"What's this? Kenji-kun is drawing a picture for your parent's anniversary?" Lee asked, suddenly interested.

Kenji nodded quickly. "Hai! Niichan and neechan are going to buy something, but right now, I'm going to draw them a picture!"

Lee started to tear up. "THAT'S SO BEAUTIFUL OF YOU KENJI! IT IS THROUGH YOU AND YOUR SIBLINGS THAT THE LOVE BETWEEN YOUR MOTHER AND FATHER SHALL GROW AND GROW! NOW I CAN FINALLY PASS DOWN THE TORCH AS THE PROTECTOR OF KONOHA'S GREAT LOVE!"

"Eh? Protector of...Konoha's great...love?" Chihiro repeated, blinking in confusion.

"What's a torch?" Kenji asked, dumbfounded. Suddenly, Lee latched his hands onto Kenji's shoulder, catching him by surprise. Lee stared at him sternly.

"Kenji-kun," Lee started. "As I am now growing old and losing my wonderful youth, I can no longer protect your parents anymore. I must leave the job to you now as their son."

"W-Why? What do otouchan and okaachan need protecting for?" Kenji asked, slightly frightened.

Lee gulped. "Kenji-kun...there are people trying to break your parents apart."

Kenji gasped, his jaw wide open. "NO WAY!"

"YES, KENJI-KUN! IT IS A TERRIBLE TRUTH!" Lee cried. "That is why you must take it up! They had entrusted me to the task, and I do not believe I have the strength anymore!"

"B-B-But, how can this be? What happened?" Kenji asked. "TELL ME! PLLLEEEAASSSSSEEEE!"

Lee sighed hesitantly. "Very well, little Kenji-kun..."

* * *

><p>It all started when I was on a mission with your parents. We were attempting to extract information from a very well-known criminal for a drug ring. Your mother, Sakura-san, was tasked to confront the criminal directly in a bar. Your father, Sasuke-kun, was the team leader and he said other things about the mission. But it did not matter, because he gave me the most important task that was not just for the mission, but the mission I carried on throughout my whole life.<p>

I will never forget his words:

"Watch over Sakura."

I could not believe it. I had not realized how clever your father was, hinting the underlying meaning of his words. He may have suggested it was just for the mission, but in reality, I knew he tasked me with it for life. For even though I had long given up my feelings for your mother after she dated your father, it was still my duty to heart that I shall protect the cherry blossom of Konohagakure forever.

And the fact that your father appreciated it and understood me so well...I could not ask for a better man to be with your mother! He was incredible! So inspiring! A role model to the men of our village!

So that night, I had honored my promise to Sasuke-kun. When Sakura was at the bar, trying to get information from the criminal, I saw the terrible man lean a hand to your mother's hair. And I knew I had to act that instant, for your father was inspecting from the roof; I, in the club. How dare this man try to touch the woman your father loved dearly! I could not step aside from this! Only your father was allowed to touch your mother like that!

I acted fast and immediately used my famous Lotus Kick straight into the criminal's face, knocking him unconscious. I had did it! I protected your mother from the horrible man who threatened to break your parents apart! And even when they just started dating! I was appalled!

And I did not care for the fact that your father was bursting in anger at the fact that I ruined the mission because I had caused a scene and invited all his henchman to attack us and that he had put me to be in the same room as Sakura because I was least likely to act jealous and because your mother was the only one capable of extracting information from the criminal without looking suspicious (Oh, I nearly started tearing up when I saw how much faith your father had in me. IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL!). Nor did I care for the fact that your mother's argument that she was intentionally seducing the criminal for information or that even Sasuke himself supported the idea of seduction.

But it did not matter whether your parents were angry at me or not; all I wanted was their love to survive into the happiness they deserved! I could make any sacrifices so they could enjoy their youthful time of love. It was so inspiring! It brought me to tears when I realized their anger was not because of the mission failing, but because they loved each other so much and didn't know how else to thank me! Your father was never good with emotions, so I could endure him blaming me for the failure of the mission for the rest of my life.

I had thought my mission to protect the love between your parents was over. But I was so wrong!

I saw your mother exiting the grocery one day. And a man following behind her. With bags of groceries. Goodness! They were even stalking her! Sasuke-kun's words echoed through my mind, and I knew that my life mission was not complete.

So I took the liberty to punch the man in the face, banning him from even contacting her at all again! But your mother wasn't thinking straight. She didn't understand why I had to beat him up, as he was merely the bag boy helping him take her heavy loaded groceries to her house that was only a five minute walk. I could not your mother the truth, for she couldn't know the horrible truth! As much as I wanted to tell her the truth, I couldn't for I knew Sasuke-kun would never let me! He works so hard to protect her, even if it has to hurt her and make her angry! IT'S SO ROMANTIC OF YOUR FATHER! HE'S SO GOOD TO YOUR MOTHER!

But apparently, your mother was not the only victim. You would not believe when I saw your father at the mall...WITH YOUR AUNT INO! I was devastated! Why would your father betray your mother for her best friend? I couldn't believe it! Maybe Ino had tricked him or manipulated him with her mind techniques! Yes, that was it! No way would Sasuke-kun leave Sakura for Ino! He was the one who trusted me to protect your mother! Now, I also made it my duty to protect him!

But because I could not let myself hit a girl, I had only dragged Ino away from your father for only a few minutes. I had confronted her on how she could be so cruel to go between her best friend and love, how it was not wrong, how to would damage her beautiful youthful skin! But your Aunt Ino was really defensive! She tried to convince me that she was helping your father find an anniversary gift for Sakura. I don't even know why I had let her defend herself, or pretend to! I couldn't even stand it! I would have freed your father from Ino's manipulation, but I didn't know any ninjutsu. I thought I had failed! HOW COULD YOUR FATHER EVER TRUST ME AGAIN WHEN I COULDN'T EVEN PROTECT HIM FROM THAT PIG WOMAN?

Nonetheless, I continued my task. Plenty of boys were still after your mother. And every time, after I defeated those wretched boys who tried to come between Konoha's greatest love (your parents), your mother would still defend them. But I didn't want to listen to her excuses; she was simply being too modest. She did not have to defend them by saying this boy was merely helping her carry textbooks or she had to discuss their future missions with that boy or she was tipping the mailman or anything. Couldn't she tell that these men were after her? THEY WERE TRYING TO BREAK THEM APART! I COULDN'T JUST STAND AND LET IT HAPPEN!

But girls were just as difficult to Sasuke-kun. My goodness, they were after him like hotcakes! And I could not believe Sasuke didn't do anything! Sure, maybe half of them were our close friends, but did he not realize the threat girls are to his everlasting love to Sakura-san? Instead of hitting those girls, I only did the favor of loudly declaring into a powerful love speech that Sasuke-kun was Sakura-san's boyfriend and hers only; not other girls would be allowed to be even near him.

Of course, you father always got mad at me for making such a scene. He said it embarrassed him and annoyed him to no end. He didn't understand why I was making such a big deal out of it. I was perplexed. How could he not realize the girls' true intention? He brushed it off, saying that either the girls were just asking him for direction or their pets kept annoying him or Tenten sending a message to him from the Hokage or some naive ideas that those girls were up to nothing.

I can live with your parents not appreciating my efforts, for in the end, it had succeeded. Because your father proposed to your mother, promising eternal happiness for her. I knew then that I finished my task. It was a success!

Because when I was at their weddings, I listened to their vows very, very carefully! IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL AND HEARTWARMING AND LOVELY AND TEARJERKING!

Your father said how he will now do everything in his power to protect her! To make her happy! To make her smile! To fall in love with her again everyday! And then I knew it was that moment, it was your father implying that he was releasing me from my duty to protect their great love, because they have reached their goal and defeated all the enemies against their powerful love!

But even if your father released me from my duties by marrying your mother, I still believed it was my life mission to fully continue it! By then, I have vowed to protect all their children, Sousuke, Kimiko, and you, Kenji, because you are the symbols of the great love your parents have endured and fought for through time and battle! You are the reason for why their great love continues as it shall span for decades and decades, even in their spirits!

THEIR LOVE WILL NEVER, EVER DIE! IT SHALL PREVAIL ALONG WIT THE POWER OF YOUTH!

* * *

><p>"And that is why, Kenji-kun, you must take on the task to protect your parents' love!" Lee declared, his eyes bursting in tears. "An old man like me can no longer hold the power of youth! You, Kenji, have so much potential! You must carry on the task!"<p>

Kenji stared at Lee in awe, his mouth wide open. Suddenly, he stood up from the couch, stopping his coloring project, his back straight and proud.

"I will! I will! I will Lee-sensei!" Kenji agreed excitedly. "Nobody gets to hurt my otouchan and okaachan and gets away with it!"

"THAT'S THE SPIRIT KENJI-KUN!" Lee cried.

"Ah, Kenji-kun," Chihiro spoke up, putting her crayon down. "I have to go back for dinner. Do you wanna come over? We can finish coloring!"

Kenji nodded. "Yep! I wanna meet your dad and aunt and uncle!"

Kenji, Chihiro, and Gaito cleaned up all the crayons on the table and packed them into the box. Kenji rolled up his picture neatly so that it didn't crumple. He bowed politely to Lee and smiled.

"Thanks for letting us come over!" Kenji said. "And thanks Gaito-senpai for your crayons!"

"No problem, my little kouhai!" Gaito replied. "Remember to finish your task!"

"Hai!" I will!" Kenji exclaimed. He grabbed Chihiro by her hand, causing her to blush. The young Uchiha was oblivious to her reaction."Come on, let's go to your place! I wanna see it!"

Chihiro nodded nervously, before breaking into a small smile. "H-Hai, Kenji-kun! It's this way!"

They said their goodbye to Lee and his son Gaito, running down the street. The sun was setting soon, the sky slowly becoming purple. They ran quickly throughout the village, Kenji following Chihiro closely behind. Onlookers watched them curiously as they passed by, a bit shock of the two's actions. The children laughed all the way, as if in a game of tag or a race.

But soon it ended. They had stopped at a large mansion near the Hokage Tower. Kenji looked at it, amazed by its grand size and pearlescent color. Chihiro knocked on it twice, before the door opened. It revealed a woman, probably in her early 40's, with dark blond hair and blue eyes. She wore strange, white robes that Kenji had never seen anybody wore in the village before. The woman smiled brightly, scooping down Chihiro into a hug.

"Ah, Chihiro-chan! You're just in time for dinner! How was exploring?" The woman asked cheerfully, kissing the girl on cheek.

"It was fun. Where's otouchan?"

"He's at a meeting with the Hokage. He'll be back shortly."

"Ne, baachan, can Kenji-kun stay for dinner? He needs help coloring," Chirhiro asked sweetly.

"Why of course Chihiro! Now, where is that famous Kenji I hear you yapping about this whole trip?" The woman asked, leaning to the side to catch a glimpse of Kenji. He smiled in return.

"Konbanwa! I'm Kenji! It's nice to meet you!" Kenji introduced himself.

The woman's eyes instantly widened in shock. She gasped.

"Y-Y-You..." She whispered. Kenji looked at her curiously.

"Hm?"

The woman was at loss of words. Suddenly, a man behind her appeared. He had purple paint on his face and brown hair. He also wore the same robes as the woman, but with black detailing on the collars.

"What's wrong, neesan?" He asked the woman before realizing what she had seen. He soon had the same expression as the woman.

"Oh my god..." He stated, staring at Kenji up and down.

"He looks just like Uchiha Sasuke!"

* * *

><p>Naruto closed the door gently behind him as he returned to his seat. He took off his Hokage robes, bundling it neatly in his arms as he reached his desk. There was a certain freedom he felt when he took off those robes so that he was relaxed, just in his blue turtleneck and trouser pants. He threw his robes on the desk lazily as he leaned back against his chair. Naruto sighed loudly.<p>

"Damn meetings get longer and longer, even if I did get to see him after these years. God I'm hungry," Naruto moaned, noticing the new stacks of papers on his desk. He pouted.

"Man, why can't Shizune just retire? Maybe then she won't have to give me so many papers," Naruto complained under his breath, taking a piece of paper into his hand. His eyes scanned it up and down briefly. Within a few seconds, he threw it back on the desk. It was nothing urgent, anyway; he could always deal with this tomorrow.

He opened his drawer, revealing stacks of cup ramen within. He licked his lips deliciously, taking one of the boxes into his hands. He stood up from his desk and walked up to the hot water maker. He ripped the cover of the cup ramen, pouring hot water into the contents. Steam came up from the cup, Naruto blowing on it gently. With his bare hands, he covered the cup to let the heat sink it, the steam warming up his tan skin. Naruto sat back in his chair, relaxed. This was basically his mini spa for his hands.

He glanced over to the corner of his desk, smiling as he saw a picture of his only daughter Nanako. She was only five in the picture, but she had the biggest smile he had ever seen. She was standing on top of the Hokage Monuments when Naruto took that photo, yet she wasn't even scared of falling. She was such a brave little girl. And now, that she was a teenager...

"WHY AM I SO OLD NOW?" Naruto cried to himself. He really did feel like an old man. In fact, he found some white hair in his head just this morning.

Suddenly, the door burst open. A ninja, probably a jonin, had entered. Naruto stared at him curiously, noticing the panicking expression on his face. Naruto's face immediately hardened. It was the same ninja he assigned to the scouting mission under Sousuke's lead.

"What happened?" Naruto asked, suddenly not interested in his ramen anymore; he was now in Hokage mode.

The ninja breathed heavily, his eyes continuously blood-struck.

"Uchiha Sousuke is missing."

* * *

><p>COMMENTARY TIME!<p>

Well in case you guys didn't get Lee's story...it's supposed to be him overreacting to the events. Remember, these are stories that the characters themselves tell, so some of them can be unreliable narrators and it's from their point of view of how they see it happen. There's not much romance in here really; I found it more as a story that entertains Kenji since he's a little boy. The romance will resurface though!

For the Sousuke subplot, it's developing faster than I anticipated. I think in a few chapters, hopefully by the next one, you guys will finally discover what happened between him and Shikana (I probably pissed half of you for not revealing it in this chapter teeheehee). There's also more to Sousuke than you're going to expect, so don't be surprised when I throw something like that makes you go "WHAT?"

Yeah, that's all I really have. It's shorter than usual. Anyway, I was supposed to update this earlier but my best friend told me to wait until I reached 140 reviews, which made me go "...WWWHHHYYY? IT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN!" She told me to wait and see how it goes, and I guess it did! I'm glad this story is getting popular pretty quickly! I usually never have more than 10 reviews per chapter but this story just breaks it! Every morning I wake up to like 30 emails of story alerts, favorites, or reviews for this story only and it makes me wanna cry sometimes.

I mean, I see other people get like 100 reviews for chapters and here I am, ready to burst by just getting more than 10 the next day. I really do appreciate all the support. It makes me super happy and proud of myself. I cannot ask for better supporters, especially the ones that continously read my story from the very beginning. When I see the reviews, I recognize some names because they have constantly reviewed my stories since I started fanfiction. I can't think of them of the top of my head, but I know who they are. It just makes me proud to have a few loyal reviewers for my stories that to me, even when I didn't write for over a year, it doesn't even matter if I never make it to 1000 reviews. I'm just happy that people still believe and love my stories.

Again, thank you for always reviewing, even enduring my grammar mistakes. It means so much for me since I went through a lot this weekend.

So continuing the game! Shoutouts again to those who get it correctly! Here's the hint: Love


	9. An Ill Feeling for All

Chapter 8: An Ill Feeling For All

CONGRATULATIONS TO:

**finish line**

**sasuke-glamour**

**Rawr Supertastic**

**Your Avid Reader**

**filipinochick**

**.Saku.x**

**Claudette14**

**KAYKAY734**

**sasusaku-08**

**ImmaBeForever**

**shasa**

**Evil-Chibi-Tiffy**

**Autumn Autrice**

**Pookie Boo**

**SweetAngels123**

**AnimeAshley**

**XxlizziexcielxX**

You guys got it right! Too many of you for my happiness T_T somebody tell me if I either suck at hints or you guys are just too good. If I missed you, I'm sorry! It was late at night when I scrolled down through the reviews for the answer so FORGIVE ME! FYI: This chappie will be longer than usual. THe SasuSaku story will come later than usual. BUT ENJOY!

* * *

><p>"Ne, Kimi-chan, please calm down..."<p>

"No."

She was beyond angry.

Everybody passing by her down the hallway could feel her seething angry with each stomp her boots made. Her long ponytail swayed back and forth against her back, the Uchiha clan symbol stitched on. Both of her hands were clenched tightly in a fist, waiting to punch somebody who dared mess with her at the moment.

Nanako followed closely behind, trying to match her best friend's speed. She couldn't tell whether Kimiko was power-walking incredibly fast or jogging. Nanako bit her lips, understanding very well for how Kimiko was feeling; she just didn't want to witness the result of it.

Unfortunately, it came much faster than anticipated.

Kimiko pushed the door to the Hokage's office open, ignoring the loud banging noise it made. In front of her was the Hokage himself, who barely flinched at her entrance. He did not look surprised, his blue eyes concentrated on the paperwork in front of him.

"Kimiko," Naruto greeted nonchalantly.

Abruptly, Kimiko slammed both fists on his desk, causing his cup of coffee to spill to the floor. _Damnit Sakura-chan, why did you have to teach her how to use monster strength?_ Naruto thought.

"What the fuck is going on with my brother?" She asked, snarling almost. "Why didn't I get sent on the mission to retrieve him?"

"Chuunins aren't for retrieval missions," Naruto replied.

"Bullshit! You've sent me on A-rank missions without a second thought!" Kimiko yelled. "Why can't I go help him?"

"I already formed a team; your skills were not required."

"But he's my brother! I have to go to him!"

"I won't allow it."

"Otousan told you to not to take me, didn't he?" Kimiko asked, her temper rising. "DIDN'T HE?"

Naruto fidgeted. "Your father has good reason."

"I don't give a fuck about what he thinks! You're the Hokage! Overturn his decision! Please, take me on the mission!"

Naruto was slightly taken back by her language. It was only then did he look up to her, a stern expression on his face.

"Look, Kimiko, even if your father didn't say anything about it, I still wouldn't let you go; It's too dangerous and I'm sure Sousuke doesn't want you risking your life for him."

"But-"

"Kimiko, if you attempt to leave this village, I will deem you as a missing-nin and send people to eliminate you. Do I make myself clear?" Naruto warned darkly.

It was rare for Naruto to be this harsh to her, even if he was the Hokage. Kimiko glared at him, wide-eyed. Immediately, she turned around, walked straight to the door, and slammed it behind her, followed by a loud bang. Nanako stared at the door, slightly taken back by Kimiko's action. She turned to her father, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Otouchan..." Nanako whispered softly. "Sousuke-niichan's going to be okay...right?"

Naruto smiled at her reassuringly. "Nanako, the real question is: Who on earth is dumb enough to kidnap Uchiha Sasuke's son?"

* * *

><p>Kimiko could not believe this. She was fuming, almost to the point that she could kick anybody that tried to talk to her. She walked down the hallway, straight to where her father's office was. The mission was only given out just a few minutes ago, she learned. He was bound to still be there.<p>

Luckily for her, she found him, walking toward the opposite direction. He was geared in full ANBU uniform, his famous Kusunagi sword on his back. He had differentiated himself by wearing a long white overcoat to his uniform that reached his knees. To be frank, Kimiko always thought he looked a bit cool in his jacket; he only wore it when he was assigned on incredibly dangerous missions. He had long ignored the ANBU mask, though she never asked why. Kimiko stopped right in front of him, his fist clenched tightly.

Sasuke looked up with a blank face. Behind him, another head popped. Kimiko recognized the familiar pale eyes and long brown hair. Hyuuga Koji gulped.

"K-Kimiko..." He whispered nervously.

Kimiko ignored him. She had no response. She continued to glare at her father, who only looked at her calmly. He walked onward, past her.

"Go home," He ordered.

Furiously, she swung a kick toward his face. Sasuke immediately caught it with a bare hand, not even having to glance at her. He lowered her foot, so that it was on the ground again.

"Go home," Sasuke repeated, more sternly. "_Now_."

Koji immediately went to Kimiko's side, touching her shoulder gently. "Kimiko, please don't fight with your father. We have to meet with the rest later and-"

"SHUT UP, HYUUGA!" Kimiko snarled loudly, slapping his hand away from her. Koji stepped back, shocked by her foreign rudeness to him. However, he let it go, knowing well this was an Uchiha battle.

"You...Why won't you let me help save niisan? You know I can do it!"

"You're not strong enough," he replied coldly.

"DON'T SAY SHIT! I'M NOT A WEAK LITTLE GIRL! I'M GOING ON THIS MISSION WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!"

"You're not needed."

"How can you think I can just sit here and wait to know what's happening to him? He's my brother! I need to go to him! I need to protect him after he's been protecting me for so long!"

"No, you don't," Sasuke turned around to face her, staring at her sternly. It would have been scary to her as a kid, but now...she was older. Much older. "You are to stay home and-"

"WILL YOU LISTEN TO ME? YOU KNOW I CAN HELP! YOU ALWAYS SAID THAT I CAN'T DEPEND ON NIISAN ALL THE TIME AND I MIGHT HAVE TO HELP HIM ONE DAY, YET YOU WON'T LET ME-"

"And what about Kenji, huh?" Sasuke interrupted, annoyed by his daughter's words. "What's Kenji going to think when he comes home and no one's there?"

Kimiko froze.

"Look," Sasuke began, trying to sound as calm as possible, but failed. "Your mother isn't coming home until god knows when tonight. She's a doctor; as much as she wants to help your brother, she can't. Her duty is to the hospital. It's my job to take care of Sousuke when she can't. And when we're both away, it's your job to take care of Kenji, alright? I'm telling you the same thing I told Sousuke: If anything should happen to us, you are in charge."

"But-"

"You are to take Kenji home, make dinner, get him to bed by nine, and stay with him. Understand?" He ordered.

"But, otousan-"

"Stop trying to fight me!" Sasuke yelled furiously. Kimiko nearly jumped at his tone. Noticing her reaction, Sasuke immediately calmed himself down.

"You're old enough to realize that your brother's life might be at danger. I'm not stupid enough to tell you otherwise. And I'm not stupid enough risk my own daughter's life as well. What if something happens to you during the mission, huh? What if something happens to _both_ of you? You need to consider how this would affect everybody! Your mother would be devastated! Kenji would grow up miserable without you guys! And I-" Sasuke stopped himself; he couldn't finish. He looked the other way, his eyes narrowed.

Kimiko's eyes widened. She waited for him to say something, but knew he wouldn't. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. Her head drooped, her eyes not daring to look into her father's. As much as she hated it, she couldn't help but agree with every word that came out of his mouth. She bit her lips.

_God, I hate it when he does that_, she thought bitterly. Her father always gave her the harsh truth.

Sasuke gave up an annoyed sigh. He turned around, his back to his daughter. "Just do this for me...Kimiko."

Kimiko looked up, her eyes glossy. She felt a rough hand on her shoulder. She glanced to her side, seeing Koji's face. He gave her a reassuring smile.

"It'll be alright, Kimiko," He said softly. "I'll save your brother no matter what."

Kimiko stared at him, slight tears gathering around her eyes. She nodded. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Hurry up, Hyuuga," Sasuke ordered sternly. "We're to meet up the team at the front gates."

"Hai, taichou," Koji nodded. In a few seconds, Sasuke and Koji disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving Kimiko alone in the hallway. She glanced outside the window, her black eyes looking more vulnerable than usual. She gulped.

"Niisan..." She whispered. "...please be okay."

* * *

><p>"Kenji-kun, what color do you want your her clothes to be?"<p>

"Anything! Okaachan's pretty in any color!"

Watching the two kids color on the small table, three adults sat at the dining table. The blond woman stared at them curiously.

"This can't be a coincidence, Kankuro," Temari began.

Kankuro nodded. "There's no doubt about it. That's definitely his kid."

"I thought they only had two! They should be a lot older than him if I recall, at least ten years..."

"Why the hell did they have a baby that much later?"

Temari grinned, glancing to the red-headed male next to her. "Who knew that Uchiha's little boy would be Chihiro's new friend here during this trip, neh? Gaara?"

No words came out from Gaara's mouth. With his eyes still on the two kids, he sipped his tea. He watched as the boy, Kenji, innocently hand a crayon to Chihiro, who took it hesitantly, a blush on her face. They had yet to realize all three adults were watching them very intently. Kenji laughed loudly, probably at something funny Chihiro said.

Then, Gaara's eyes narrowed. Kenji had suddenly stopped coloring, dropping the crayon he had in his hands. He stood up and ran to the front door. Everybody looked at him curiously.

"K-Kenji-kun? What's wrong?" Chihiro asked.

"I think my sister's coming!" Kenji exclaimed, his hand latching on the doorknob.

Temari and Kankuro both nearly choked on their tea.

"W-What? That kid can pick up chakra signatures that easily?" Temari choked out. "What is he, five?"

"Even I couldn't detect it until now. It must have been at least a 50 km distance when he picked it up," Kankuro continued, slightly startled. "He even knows the identity..."

Gaara watched Kenji open the front door, revealing a teenage girl with black hair and matching eyes. She was vaguely familiar to him, but Gaara instantly knew who their visitor was.

"Ah! Oneechan! How did you find me?" Kenji asked, shocked to see his sister on the front door.

Kimiko had her hands on her hips, staring down at him sternly.

"Oi, Kenji! You can't wander around into random people's places! What if they kidnap you? Or make you take weird things? Especially this late! Why didn't you go back home and wait for me?" Kimiko lectured him loudly.

Kenji backed away slightly, his shoulders hunched. "Demo, oneechan, it's only Chihiro-chan. Her dad and aunt and uncle are only staying here for a few days before they go back. And she was helping me color!"

"Go color tomorrow!" Kimiko scowled. "Do you even know who her parents are?"

"Yes, I do!" Kenji defended himself. "Her dad is the-"

"AH FORGET IT! Come on, let's go home-"

"Oh my god, it really is Uchiha's daughter!"

Kimiko immediately stopped, looking up at the three adults in front of her, sitting on the table. Then, her eyes paused at the red-headed man in the middle, recognizing the intricate robes of the Sand-nin. Along with the kage headpiece that lay ignored to the side. She gawked.

_T-T-T-That's the-_ her thoughts didn't finish on its own. "K-K-Kazekage-s-s-sama?"

Gaara stood up slowly, his expression still calm. Kimiko's face reddened in embarrassment. Instantly, she bowed.

"Ah, s-s-sorry, I didn't mean to be rude! I-I had no idea you were here in Konohagakure!" She apologized quickly. "I-I'm sorry if my little brother was a bother a-and-"

"Iie, no need to apologize," he replied softly. "He was only playing with my daughter."

_Daughter?_ Kimiko darted her eyes to the young, red-headed girl sitting on the ground, crayons in her hands. She turned back to Kenji, and nearly wanted to faint. The realization hit her hard.

_OH MY GOD THIS LITTLE CHIHIRO THAT KENJI KEEPS SCREAMING ABOUT IS THE KAZEKAGE'S DAUGHTER? WHEN THE HELL DID THIS HAPPEN?_

Her thoughts were cut short when she noticed the woman and other man approach her, studying her careful. She stepped back, surprised by their closeness.

"Ah, you're so big now!" Temari commented. "And so pretty like your mother! What was your name again? Kimiko, right?"

"That's so weird, she looks more like Sasuke than Sakura," Kankuro took note. "I was just praying for him to have a pink-haired girl."

"Please, Kankuro! The only resemblance they have is the color! The face and eye shape is more like Sakura's, ne?"

"But she looks more like Sasuke than the other kid, Sousuke? They don't look like much," Kankuro argued. "Man, they get big fast! Oi, Kimiko, last time we came, you were just starting the Academy! Wait, you don't remember me, do you?"

"Temari, Kankuro," came Gaara's voice.

Temari and Kankuro laughed sheepishly before stepping back. Kimiko scratched the back of her nervously, unsure of what to do. She returned her attention to Kenji, who tugged on her skirt repeatedly.

"Oneechan, can I stay and finish coloring with Chihiro-chan? Please, please, please, please, ppppllleeeaasssseeeee?"

Kimiko bit her lips, remember her father's words. She smiled at her little brother.

"Sorry, Kenji, but we have to go home. W-We shouldn't bother the Kazekage-sama and his bodyguards," Kimiko said softly to Kenji. He looked like he was about to cry.

"But, oneechan!"

"I don't mind having him over," Gaara spoke.

Kimiko shook at his voice. There was something about the Kazekage's voice that although was very calm, it spooked her nonetheless. She never actually talked to him before, only knowing his fame and presence.

"Ne, ne, Chihiro's otouchan, can she stay for dinner too?" Kenji asked excitedly. Shocked, Kimiko pulled his ear.

"BAKA! W-W-What's wrong w-w-with you? Y-You don't address the Kazekage like that!" Kimiko whispered harshly to Kenji through his ear.

"Oneechan, that hurts!" Kenji whimpered.

"Oh don't worry, Kimiko! It's fine!" Temari assured.

Kenji pulled himself from his sister's hold, smiling widely. "Yay! Thank you Chihiro's bachan! Ne, Chihiro-chan, have you finished yet? I wanna draw more stuff too!" And within a second, Kenji was right by Chihiro's side again, shoulder to shoulder, taking up a crayon in his hands.

"Ah, Kenji..." Kimiko sighed. She couldn't help it. He was already too distracted by his coloring project with his new friend. Kimiko smiled. It would be nice to be a little kid again, innocent and naive to everything happening in the world...

"Take a seat," Kimiko perked up when she heard the Kazekage's voice. She saw his hand motion to the table. "...You'll be a lot safer here."

_Safer?_ Kimiko raised an eyebrow. Slowly, she sat down across from him, replaying his words mentally. Then, her eyes widened to an almost frantic state.

"Eh? Y-You know about niisan's-"

Gaara nodded, putting his tea cup down. "Usually, enemies will capture more than one member of a famous clan like yours. With both your parents busy, it's only natural for you and your brother to have efficient protection, even within the village."

Kimiko smiled slightly. "Thank you, Kazekage-sama. I would still like to keep this from Kenji for the moment, just so he wouldn't have to be scared of anything yet."

Kimiko stared down at her tea cup, unsure whether to drink from it or not. She couldn't help but notice the odd stares she was receiving from both Temari and Kankuro, unsure of what was going through their mind.

Temari spoke. "You know, Kimiko, you're a really odd child."

"Eh?" Kimiko looked up curiously.

"I don't know if you're more like your father or your mother," Temari explained, sitting back against her chair, her arms crossed. "I mean, you worry a lot, just like your mother does but..."

"You keep everything to yourself like your father," Kankuro finished.

"Ah! That reminds me of that one time Sasuke got a fever and their whole team had to stop in Sunagakure!" Temari exclaimed.

"Eh? Otousan got a fever?" Kimiko asked in a surprised tone. _Otousan never gets sick though..._

"Hai, hai. But he was very stubborn. He wouldn't let your mother help him and she was really worried about him!"

"He didn't know when to give up," Kankuro sighed. "Arrogant bastard, he was."

Kimiko giggled. "That sounds a lot like him."

"No, he was _really_ arrogant! I mean, he refused your mother's help and it nearly killed him! That fever of his was really bad," Temari added.

"Why wouldn't he? Was he dating her yet?"

"Of course! I think Naruto said they had been dating for over a year when they came to Suna! I think it was because-"

"Oi, Kankuro, shut up. I'm the one talking."

"Neesan, you always tell the stories! Let me have a go!"

"Shut up! You always tell bedtime stories to Chihiro-chan!"

"What are you talking about? You've been robbing my quality time with my favorite niece!"

"She's our o_nly_ niece, Kankuro."

"Well maybe you shouldn't be so prideful and actually get married."

"What did you say? You're having no luck in the ladies department either-"

"_I'll_ tell the story if you two shut up."

Everybody stopped talking upon hearing Gaara speak. His tone was dark and soft, yet gave a commanding presence. Both Temari and Kankuro chuckled nervously upon Gaara's annoyed look. He sighed.

* * *

><p>It was very random of what happened years ago.<p>

Your parents and Naruto had finished a mission for reasons that I really don't care about. I don't know what they were doing and couldn't care less. All that I knew was that one day, I heard from the guards that three ninjas from Konohagakure were seeking a place to stay for a couple of days because one of them had fainted and wouldn't wake up for nearly a day. Hearing that it was them, I gave permission, assuming that either Sakura was the one that fainted due heat exhaustion from the desert or Naruto had ate something funny like a cactus.

So you can imagine my surprise when it was actually your father, Uchiha Sasuke, was the one that had fallen ill. As I owed Naruto a favor for saving my life, I allowed them to stay at my place for the duration. It was wise that they stopped in Sunagakure for him to recover; he wouldn't have lasted the desert between us and Konoha with that fever.

At first, it was nothing serious. He would have been better within two days.

If he actually listened to your mother.

All he needed was bed rest and occasional medicine. Your mother Sakura had insisted he take more than the average intake because of his body had changed somehow during his time with Orochimaru. He refused it and didn't get his required time to rest. Instead, he would just get up and train in my backyard for hours. And every time, he would faint again, causing him to need even more bed rest and your mother insisting that he take the medicine.

And again, he would refuse.

I could always hear them from my room, arguing loudly about his health. Your mother would insist that he should stop training while he was sick or else it would get worse. That they weren't going to go back unless your father's fever dropped. It was higher. You father would argue back that he was not weak. He had been through worse. He didn't need medicine or your mother's help.

And they argued like that everyday that they stayed in Sunagakure. It was very annoying and starting to regret my decision to let them in if it wasn't for Naruto to calm me down.

Temari helped too. She always threatened to use her giant fan on them if they argued beyond midnight. Not that they actually listened.

I'm sure they kept the whole village awake with their arguing over your father's stupid fever.

It was the same routine. Everyday, your father would wake up grumpy. Your mother would check his forehead. She would yell at him that it was getting higher with each day. Your father would ignore. He would say that it was nothing bad and they should just go back to Konoha already. He would train not to waste time, but maybe get away from her. He would faint during his training. Naruto would drag him back to his room. Your mother would panic all over again. Your father would wake up. Your mother would lecture him about his health. He would yell that he didn't need her taking care of him. And the argument would last throughout the night.

Your father's stubbornness and pride was really, really, annoying.

Two whole weeks had gone by with your father denying he had a high fever while they were stuck here. Actually, I was more amazed with how patient Naruto was. Sunagakure is low on ramen.

For me, that was probably the crankiest two weeks I ever had.

Until their routine changed.

One night, during one of their many arguments, it had suddenly stopped earlier. I heard a crashing noise. Followed by Sakura's scream. Everybody rushed to Sasuke's room. We saw him lying on the ground, shivering more than usual. Breathing more heavily than usual. Sweating more than usual. Sakura checked his forehead again. When her face turned white, we all knew what happened.

Your father's fever had reached an all-time high. It was beyond the norm. And if we didn't force feed him the stupid medicine he should have taken days ago and let Sakura heal him, his life could end.

So we stayed up half the night, watching your mother heal your father continuously, force-feeding him the medicine every half hour, switching the blankets here, forcing him to drink water, and whatever else happened.

It was probably near sunrise when we finally got his fever to cool down. He was fine. He would live. He was back to healthy. And we were all exhausted, grumpy, and wanted to go back to sleep.

But your mother intrigued me greatly that morning. Not only was she beyond tired, she continued to stay by his side, sitting next to him. I don't believe she took any chance that he was already better. She stayed there, sitting by his side. While he slept. She just watched over him.

Then she fell asleep an hour later, probably from chakra exhaustion.

Your parents slept that whole day, next to each other. Her head on the bedside. His body lay still on the bed. While the rest of us were secretly celebrating the end of their annoying arguments.

And I was never sure if my eyes were mistaken or not. Sometimes, when I passed by their room, I would catch a glimpse of your father, barely awake. Always staring at your mother. I wasn't sure what that look was. It was unfamiliar to me. Or, it was unfamiliar for me to see it on Sasuke's face.

But I'm sure that for one moment, my eyes were right. I did see his hand slowly reach for hers and grab it in his. Then, he fell asleep again.

That evening, I ate dinner with Naruto. I had asked him why for the past two weeks, your father had constantly denied your mother's help when he would expect her to worry so much. I would never forget Naruto's answer. It's still clear in my memory.

"Sasuke doesn't want to admit he needs Sakura-chan's help because he doesn't feel like he deserves it. He doesn't think it should be like that. He thinks that he needs to be the one that's there for her, not vice versa. He wants to always be there to save her.

"I think when he got that fever, that was a smack in his face that he has his weak moments and couldn't protect her during that time. He can never relax with Sakura-chan unless we're back in Konoha. That's why he doesn't accept Sakura-chan's help; he's scared that he needs her more than she needs him.

"So he doesn't want to her to worry, even though that makes her panic ten times crazier than before. He doesn't know how to make her happy; he thinks hiding his pain from her will at least do something about it. But it doesn't. He never admits it, but I get this idea that he thinks she would be a lot happier with any other guy than him. He doesn't realize yet that if anything ever happened to him, Sakura-chan isn't going to forget him instantly and be happy with another guy. She's going to be miserable. Just as he would be if he lost her. He can't accept the fact that she cares about him as much as he cares about her."

His answer was long, but I remember every word. It made me see your father differently; for there was a time he used to be a ruthless murderer, seeking nothing but revenge. I used to look him in the eye and all I could see was cold darkness, never wavering from his goal of revenge. He used to be bloodthirsty, power hungry, and above all, cruel.

Now, when I look him in the eye, it's still pretty cold. And unfriendly. Glaring. Irritated most of them time.

But then I see him alone with your mother, and suddenly, I think his eyes light up even for a brief second. He lets his guard down and he doesn't seem as cold as I'm used to. There's this weird mixture of regret and guilt, but definitely combined with love.

I never actually had to ask Naruto if your parents were dating or not when they came to Sunagakure; I just knew. Your father's eyes said it all.

* * *

><p>Upon finishing his last word, Gaara resumed to sipping his cup of tea. Kimiko just stared at him in shock. She had never heard about this before. Not even from her parents. Or Uncle Naruto. In fact, now that she realized it, her parents never did talk about their past much. She learned more about their relationship from their friends in the past few days than she ever did in her lifetime.<p>

" Gaara, when did you learn to be so descriptive..." Kankuro wondered.

"Have you been sneaking in bedtime stories for Chihiro-chan?" Temari added curiously.

Gaara didn't respond. He sat across from Kimiko in silence, his eyes glancing to Kenji and Chihiro, who continued to draw and color, oblivious to the story that was just told.

"Ano, Kazekage-sama..." Kimiko began nervously.

Gaara looked up to her. She smiled softly, her dark eyes brightening all a sudden. _It's her father's eyes, but her mother's smile..._

"Thank you for telling me that story. I really appreciate it, Kazekage-sama."

Gaara nodded. He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted when two kids ran straight to Kimiko.

"Oneechan! Look! We finished! It's pretty, huh? Chihiro colored okaachan and I did otouchan! It's cool, right? They'll like it, ne ne ne?" Kenji exclaimed in a hyper tone, shoving the drawing right into Kimiko's face.

Kimiko held it gently in her hands, instantly smiling at the drawing. It was a picture of their parents, both smiling (a rare feat for her father), holding hands. It was a sweet, innocent drawing that any five-year-old was capable of doing, but this picture...

Kimiko laughed, ruffling her little brother's hair. "It's good, Kenji! I know they'll like it!"

"Ne, ne, what did you and oniichan get for them?" Kenji asked.

Kimiko instantly cringed. "Uhh hahahaha...funny that you should ask...um...we'll decide when niisan gets back from his mission, ya know?"

She prayed that he would come back.

* * *

><p>Black orbs opened slowly, though took time to clear its blurry vision. Sousuke woke up slowly, his eyelids suddenly feeling extremely heavy. So was his body. It felt incredibly sore. The genjutsu must have worn him out, he figured. When he had regained his sight fully, he scanned his surroundings. He was in a dirty room with no windows. He couldn't find any source of light. Was he underground? He couldn't tell.<p>

He pulled up his hand, noticing the shackles on them. He tried to create fire in his palms, but failed.

_Chakra sucking chains, _he mentally assumed. So this guy was prepared.

He looked around the room, doing a double-check. Suddenly, a foreign chill went down his spine. There was something about this room that made it feel...familiar to him. As if this wasn't the first time he had been in here. He recognized the chair in the corner of the room, but he couldn't pinpoint how he knew it. The scent was too familiar to him too. The smell of musk and dirt, mixed with blood.

Something was wrong. He wanted to get out of here. Now. There was something wrong with him being chained to the wall in this particular room that was haunting him. Sweat trickled down his face. Although he was usually calm during missions, something forced him to be at the point of panicking. The point of going insane.

He slammed his hand against the wall several times, in the hopes of destroying the chains. He knew it was a useless attempt, but he couldn't help it. An odd feeling within told him he had to escape from this place.

"What's the matter, Sousuke-kun? You don't remember this room?"

Sousuke stopped immediately. His eyes widened. That voice again. He was here somewhere. He could feel his presence, but the enemy had yet to show up. Sousuke looked back and forth, his body fidgetting rapidly.

"Who the hell are you?" Sousuke asked loudly. "What do you want?"

A cackle echoed throughout the room. "I don't believe this: _He_ actually blocked your memory."

"SHUT UP AND SHOW YOURSELF!"

"Are you scared, Sousuke-kun? Scared like you were all those years ago?"

Sousuke breathed heavily and unevenly. Why was he feeling like a little boy again? He didn't know. He shut his eyes, hoping this was only just a dream. A nightmare like he had almost every night.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sousuke felt his throat grow dry.

He felt the presence grow stronger, nearer to him, yet he couldn't see anybody. The room had suddenly grown darker and colder.

"Your father and your village..." began the enemy. "...do not realize why Konohagakure is the target of so many spies...you guys are so naive to believe that just because Madara is dead...just because the war is over...your eyes are safe..."

Sousuke's eyes widened. He wished to close his ears, blocking all the words that were going to come out. But he couldn't. He just couldn't.

"The moment he chose to marry that pathetic woman you call your mother...was his gravest mistake..." he continued. "...It was the moment when the whole ninja world discovered that the Uchiha Sasuke, the last of his line, would start over. He married a woman who would eventually bear him a child...a child to continue the Uchiha clan. And that son would be why peace cannot last. That son, Sousuke...is you.

"Everybody wants your eyes Sousuke-kun...No ninja dare even go against your father, for he is too strong...But you...you are young...your eyes are still fresh, yet to be tainted from the world of war...

"And that was why...your dear friend...suffered in Snow Country..."

Sousuke felt his heart stop. The memory sped through his mind again, as if it was just yesterday.

_They had been ambushed. Sousuke had been expecting it; other villages were attempting to destroy the peace treaty between Snow and Fire Country. There must have been at least 50 ninjas. He was much too occupied taking care of his own battle, because he didn't realize one had knocked Shikana unconscious and captured her before it was too late..._

_The others tried to change his mind, get back track to the mission. He had wanted to find Shikana and save her. He didn't believe she was strong enough to hold on her own for so long. The others wouldn't allow it; they had a mission to complete. They tried to convince him that the mission would fail if he went to Shikana, his entrance to the ANBU Exam would look bad, and his reputation would be destroyed._

_He didn't care. He gave up the peace treaty, told the others to go ahead to Snow Country. He would save Shikana, no matter what._

_He ran for days, following her tracks. And he would find her. But he didn't know whether he was too late or not._

_He felt her chakra in an abandoned cabin. As well as others. He could hear her scream painfully. He didn't want to know how they were torturing her. He just wanted her screams to end._

_"Tell us before we have to do more to you!"_

_"P-Please, don't-"_

_He had eliminated the guards, only enough to leave them unconscious. He couldn't deal with them yet; he had to go to Shikana. Her screams became more loudly. Her words became clearer to him. He wanted to freeze and run away every second he heard those words._

_"No! Stop! STOP!"_

_He kicked the door down, and he didn't know whether he regretted it or not. The scene in front of him terrified him, and would haunt him in the nightmares that were to come._

_In front of him was Shikana, her throat in the hands of the enemy in front of her. She was backed against the wall, breathing heavily and panicking. There were bruises, cuts, and blood all over her. Part of her clothes were ripped revealing more skin that Sousuke would have liked. Her hair, which was usually in luscious waves, was a complete mess. He saw a long slash on the sides of her body, blood dripping slowly from it. And the enemy was right in front of her, dangerously close with a dagger in his other hand._

_He couldn't recall how it happened or what was going through him. It was all a blur the moment he saw Shikana, bruised and beaten up, in front of his blood-red eyes. All he knew was that within a few seconds, his sword had plunged straight into the ninja's chest, ending a life Sousuke never intended to end. He had heard her scream, but not out of pain; just shock._

_He thought he had been possessed by a demon or something, because he did things there that he never would in his right mind. He pulled out his sword, only to kick the dead body away from Shikana._

_Then, he saw her crouched against the floor, shaking wildly. He heard quiet whimpering from her, her eyes never blinking. He rushed to her side, just hoping nothing terrible happened._

_But the moment he touched her shoulder, he knew what she had been through, because she immediately leaned against his chest, crying her eyes out. Sousuke's eyes widened at the feeling of his shirt moisten from her tears. She couldn't speak clearly, only crying from the torture she had been through._

_And Sousuke had no idea how to react. He didn't know whether to push her away or wrap his arms around her. He just sat still, letting her cry her heart out to him. Her soft hands gripped tightly to his shirt, but he didn't fight nor respond to it. He couldn't even look at her, whether it was out of respect or lack of it. Not when her clothes were so torn up..._

_Then she spoke, softly, quietly, and pleading._

_"Please Sousuke-kun...d-d-don't tell anyone...please..."_

_Hesitantly and slowly, Sousuke nodded._

"I-I-It was you...y-you sent those p-people after us...you had her kidnapped...y-you had her tortured..."

The mysterious voice chuckled wickedly. "That was my little message for you, Sousuke-kun...give yourself up to Sound...or else your dear friend isn't the only one that's going to end up punished for it."

* * *

><p>He landed heavily on the tree branch, only to jump off of it in a second.<p>

Hyuuga Koji panted heavily. It was hard to keep up with the rest of the adults, especially their leader Uchiha Sasuke. He must have been ahead of the rest by at least half a mile. Koji could understand. No matter how tense the relationship was, he knew Sasuke was a man who would never let anything happen to Sousuke. He glanced back and forth, analyzing the adults that had been brought for this mission.

Inuzuka Kiba: His dog Akamaru came in handy for scents. They had managed to track down Sousuke within five minutes of beginning the mission. The location was far, but at least it had yet to change. It would take a few hours until they reached their destination, even if it meant going all night long.

His mother, Hyuuga Tenten: Koji didn't even have to ask. His mother was the jonin teacher for his best friend. Of course she would be worried about her former student. Not to mention, her weapon skills were famous around the world. It made a good defense in case they were attacked suddenly.

And him? Well, Koji knew it was because of his Byagukan. It was excellent for locating places. At first, he didn't understand why Naruto placed him instead of his father, but then he remembered that his father had ANBU Exams to take care of. Koji's brothers were still too young for this deadly mission and his cousin Nanako, even though she possessed both the Byagukan and medical skills (a good combination, he always thought), she was still a chuunin.

And then, there was their leader, Uchiha Sasuke. Obviously, it was because this was his own son, kidnapped. It wasn't just because Sasuke was Sousuke's father. He knew Sousuke was the strongest ninja of his age. Even Koji himself admitted it. Sousuke was just too strong for his age, even defeating several S-class criminals that other villages had spent years hunting down. But for Sousuke to suddenly be captured...

"Okaasan, this enemy must be really strong," Koji said when he landed next to his mother. "Sousuke's not the type to be taken down that easily."

Tenten nodded. "Koji, to be honest, there were always attempts to get Sousuke when I was his teacher."

"Eh? Really?" Koji's eyes widened in surprise. "How come he never told me?"

"Because I never let him knew," Tenten explained. "I would take them down before he even realized I was missing. Sasuke told me that it would happen because of his sharingan, but made me promise to not let him be aware of it. Actually, I think he's second to Nanako for having the most kidnapping attempts from Konoha."

"Really..." Koji thought long about it. Being second to his cousin really meant something. All his life, he always heard stories of how some random ninja tried to kidnap Nanako as a child and how either the Hokage or Sasuke themselves eventually destroyed the enemy to save her. He never really thought of Sousuke as the type to be kidnapped. He was too strong to let it happen.

He looked up, relieved that they had finally caught up to their captain. The sight of the Uchiha clan symbol became broader, crested on Sasuke's white coat. And the side of Sasuke's face, catching a glimpse of his dark, cold eyes.

"Okaasan," Koji started again. "Why doesn't Uchiha-taichou wear an ANBU mask? I mean, he's the captain."

Tenten chuckled.

"Koji, this is Uchiha Sasuke. I think he likes his enemies to know his face after they messed with his son. Or even try to."

* * *

><p>AHHH THIS CHAPTER WAS TOO LONG! Do you guys like long chapter? I probably have to start making them longer because now that school's almost starting, I have to keep it long for you guys to be kept entertained. I hope you guys don't mind. Anyway, I have a huge favor to ask even thought you guys are all gonna hate me for it.<p>

See, there's less than a month left until school starts and I've barely finished half of it. If you all could just yell out "DO YOU HOMEWORK!" instead of "UPDATE SOON" when you review, I would really appreciate it. I love writing this story so much, it distracted me from my summer homework haha. I'm sorry that I won't be able to update early until I get some homework done. However, the earlier I finish my homework, the faster this story gets updated! So just scream out "DO YOUR HOMEWORK!" and I'll do it and get back to this ASAP! I mean, I got over 30 reviews for the last chapter. I'm sure if I see "DO YOUR HOMEWORK" 30 times while reading your reviews I'm bound to do it and not jump to writing the chapter (unless you guys want me to fail my AP classes, ruin my chances of getting into UCSD, and make me very miserable :O). Thanks for everything!

COMMENTARY! I actually found Gaara's story difficult to write. Not plot wise, but style. I mean, Gaara's a very quiet person and doesn't talk much. He's very calm, so writing it as if he's talking was hard. He doesn't say too many sentences in a row unless it's the Kage Summit. But he's a nice person in Shipudden, so I kept that. Now you guys finally realized Chihiro is his daughter! Yes, she's too cute to be his, right? For who his wife is, just assume it's a random woman in Sunagakure. I'm not too familiar with fevers so there's probably no basis to the fever. I was actually considering for Sakura to get the fever, but I decided for Sasuke since he needs a weak moment. Plus, I've been reading too many stories where Sakura always gets ill and needs Sasuke's help (I'm guilty of writing it too in my other stories). It's nice for a good change.

For Kimiko, I decided to highlight her for this chapter while Sousuke's away. Until here, she's just been a typical teenage girl but now, I wanted to show that she's very independent and although she gets distracted by boys and shopping, she cares about her family very much and is quite stubborn. Like her father LOL. I didn't give much to her relationship with Sasuke yet, so I wanted to put it here. I'll put more eventually in the future, but the focus is still between Sasuke and Sousuke. He seems very OOC in the future, so I made it up by trying to keep him OC as much as possible in the SasuSaku stories. He's a grown man now and he's a father. Of course people change when they start having children. That's why I included his argument with Kimiko and his reasoning for not allowing her to go. He doesn't think rashly or selfishly like in the manga anymore. He thinks like a parent now because he is one. But he's not perfect, so he has communication problems with his children if you haven't noticed.

NOW FOR THE HINT! I'm going to make it REALLY hard (or try to AGAIN) so less people get it! I saw how nearly everybody got it and nearly cried because I actually thought I made it tricky too. SO SAD. But here it is:

Loser


	10. Confusion vs Anger

Chapter 9: Confusion vs Anger

CONGRATULATIONS TO:

**dotwiper**

**StellaMarris**

**TheGirlWhoIsInLoveWithJapan**

**Claudette14**

**dorkykorean**

**Your Avid Reader**

You guys got it right! I'm pretty surprised that I made the difficulty level in the middle and that a lot of you guessed Sai. I forgot that Naruto calls him "Loser" so I can understand the confusion (lol, almost spoiled it).

If you don't care about my life, just ignore this bit below and skip ahead to the story.

So brief update on my life. I finished my AP English homework YAY! It's a Shakespeare essay and I did Twelfth Night, which I realized was the basis for She's the Man. I finished stats as well but not AP Gov, since that's just writing about the news every week, which can't be helped. Therefore, I decided to sneak some time in for this yay! It's been quite a while, hasn't it! Thanks for all the encouragement for helping me finish my homework; it helped ALOT!

I'll be starting school in a week so I'll try to fit in at least one more chapter before. But when school starts, don't expect updates to be as quick as usual. I mean, I'm going to have to deal with SATs, senior year, AP classes, Key Club, tennis AND basketball (conditioning is the same time as tennis which is STUPID), and homecoming. Oh yeah, I made homecoming court which was weird because I thought they did voting after school stars. Anyway, I'm pretty excited about that, but I'm not going to like the time commitment to that. I'm probably going to drop from homecoming court because it's too time-consuming and as much as I would love to have the chance to be homecoming queen, I have better things to do with that time, like FINISH MY HOMEWORK. The only good part is that I'm paired with one of my bestest friends and he's such a goofball and fun guy that our homecoming campaign would be a blast to do haha. I know we sound like drama queens, but we hate the rest of court LOL. What do you guys think? Should I stay for homecoming or not?

Now enjoy!

* * *

><p><em>"Give yourself up to Sound...or else your dear friend isn't the only one that's going to end up punished for it."<em>

The words echoed throughout Sousuke's head. It was a threat. Never had he been through this situation. Never had he felt so weak, so responsible for his village. His eyes darted to the floor, wanting to concentrate on anything but those words.

"You have potential that Konoha will never allow you to unlock..." The voice slithered. "Why would you waste your time...in a pathetic village...your powers could be for a greater causssse...to rebuild Sssssound...the village Konoha destroyed..."

"Konoha? Destroyed S-Sound?" Sousuke breathed in disbelief.

"Yessssss...when your father murdered Orochimaru, your village was quick to take advantage...and destroy all the citizens...can you live with that, Sousukeeee-kun? Can you bring the redemption your father can never undertake? You could ssssave lives...many lives..."

And then, Sousuke saw the bottom of the man's cloak spread across the room, drifting slightly above ground. He looked up, meeting with the familiar, white snake mask. What was this man hiding behind that mask, Sousuke had wondered. The enemy bent down to his knees, examing Sousuke closely.

"You could gain unlimited power...a power that only Ssssound can grant you...accept it, Sssousuke-kun...and no one in Konoha will ever have to suffer..."

Sousuke closed his eyes, wanting this room to just disappear so he could wake up and pronounce it as a nightmare. But he couldn't. Not anymore. He was seventeen now, not a child. He clutched his fist tightly, almost to the point of bleeding his palm. Then, he growled.

"Never."

And suddenly, a burst of lightning shot from his palms, electifying the whole room. The snake-mask man darted backwards, gasping in shock. And suddenly, the chains that had only held Uchiha Sousuke down laid burnt on the cold floor.

"I-I-Impossible! How did you..." The enemy could no longer hold his surprise.

Sousuke breathed heavily. He leaned against the wall with a fist against it, barely able to stand. He smirked. "Charkra chains..huff...can only...huff...handle so much...huff...charkra per second...huff...before they explode themselves...huff..." _Damn, that took a lot of charkra._

Sousuke heard a curse from the enemy.

"To concentrate so much charkra in both fists...to still be standing...you are no ordinary Uchiha..."

Sousuke scoffed as his hands found the hilt of his sword, his eyes suddenly a bright red. "So I've been told."

Before he knew it, the enemy felt the young Uchiha whisk behind him. At the instant he felt the tip prickle his skin, the snake-mask man dodged again to the corner, feeling tiny drops of blood trickle down his neck. But it didn't matter. Sousuke pointed his sword straight at the enemy again, this time blue lightning jolting from the tip, as if extending his sword into an endless blade of thunder. The stream did not stop until it ran directly into the enemy's right shoulder, immobilizing him.

Unfortunately, the figure disappeared in a cloud of smoke. A clone. Sousuke turned around, only to be blown against the wall by a kick to the stomach. He coughed up blood, but wiped it away from his mouth. The snake-masked man stood only a few feet away from Sousuke.

"You remain strong with such little charkra..." the snake-masked man breathed, taking a few steps closer to the boy. Then, Sousuke smirked.

Abruptly, bars of fire shot up to the ceiling, surrounding the man like a cage. A trap he had set just moments ago. Sousuke yanked a few shurikens from his pouch, throwing them directly at his enemy. But, his enemy was cunning. a white snake shot out from his sleeves, eating up the shurikens before they could meet the enemy. Then, a whole array of snakes were shot at Sousuke, at least a dozen aiming for him. Hoping to avoid their venomous fangs, Sousuke dodged each and every one of them, slashing each of their heads with his sword.

One of the snakes, however, opened its mouth, its tongue hissing. Just as Sousuke was about to slash it off, his eyes widened at the slight of a skinny blade stretching from the snake's mouth. Caught off guard, Sousuke couldn't avoid the the hit to his left side, a wide gash of blood dripping. He cringed slightly, a hand covering his wound carefully. Green charkra emitted from his palm, but Sousuke knew it would only heal so much. He was incredibly low on charkra.

He heard a chuckle from above. "Fufu...so you've been spending quality with your mother...but it won't help you long..."

Sousuke glanced up, realizing the snake-masked man was now above him, a dagger in his hand. Sousuke dashed to another corner, but not quick enough for the dagger to pierce his shoulder. He breathed heavily, yanking the weapon out, drawing out even more blood.

_D-Damn, my movements are too slow...and I don't have enough charkra to heal myself..._Sousuke mentally assessed himself. He was nearly out of breath. If only, if only he could have more charkra. His red eyes scanned the room, looking for the enemy. Up, down, left, right, below. Where?

"Behind you," A sly voice chuckled.

Sousuke nearly screamed as he felt a blade slash his back, ripping his shirt. He struggled to stand on his feet, haunted by the sudden cold air that met with his back skin. He stuck the tip of his sword into the ground, using it to keep him standing. He coughed up even more blood, a tiny puddle forming underneath him.

"You would do so much better...if you allow Sound to help you..." the man cackled. "...come to us...and we'll help you find the powers...powers that have been unlocked within you..."

Then, Sousuke looked up, his red eyes glaring at the man.

"Frankly, I don't give up a fuck."

Sousuke twisted his sword even deeper into the ground as streams of lightning burst from the tip. The streams ran through the ground rapidly like snakes, reaching for the enemy. The snake-masked man, gasping in horror, jumped to the ceiling before he could be electrocuted. But as he reached the top, he met again with those dark, red eyes. The black _tomoes_ swirled within those blood pools as Sousuke readied his sword, running across the ceiling directly at the enemy.

But the enemy was cunning. Once more, he snakes shot out from his sleeves, forward at Sousuke. This time, each snake wielded a blade within their mouths. Sousuke, going too fast, had no time to expect the worse as each blade instantly pierced through him. Sousuke was suddenly thrown against the wall, impaled by the various blades. His eyes widened in blood-shot and suddenly, his mouth stopped breathing. Blood trickled down from his mouth, the only thing that did come out. No voice. His body was still and cold, motionless.

The snake-masked man jumped down from the ceiling. He landed smoothly on the floor, staring at the body before him. He sighed.

"Such a ssshhameee..." He breathed, his fingers trailing over Sousuke's forehead "You could have been a great asset to Ssssooouuunnnddd..."

Then, his fingers paused at his eyes, suddenly startled. Sousuke's eyes. Still possessed the sharingan.

Then, as if he was in madness, he saw the _tomoes_ swirl rapidly again. The enemy froze at the horrible realization.

"No..."

Within a second, the snake-masked man fell the ground, wounds all over his body. A blood bath quickly formed underneath.

And his snake mask cracked in half.

* * *

><p>"Oneechan, when is okaachan coming home?" Kenji asked curiously as his older sister unlocked the front door. They walked inside, entering a room of darkness. Kimiko turned the light switch on, illuminating the living room.<p>

Kimiko smiled at Kenji nervously. "O-Okaasan's really busy at the hospital, Kenji."

"Eh? She's always there," Kenji moaned, plopping himself on the couch. "How about otouchan?"

"Erm, a mission," Kimiko answered quickly. "Come on, let's get you dressed for bed."

"I don't want to!" Kenji pouted, his cheeks puffing. "Oniichan always wrestles me before I go to bed!"

Kimiko glared at him. This kid likes to make it hard, huh? But then, recalling the dangerous situation Sousuke was in, she bit her lips. "Um, a mission too."

"Why? Oniichan didn't said he was coming back though. It's almost bedtime."

"Um, maybe he's just running late. Niisan's a jonin; things always happen," Kimiko made up an excuse. She patted him gently on the shoulder. "Come on, Kenji, bedtime. Now." Her father's orders echoed in her mind, making her shudder at the memory.

Kenji pouted as he ran up the stairs and up to his room. Kimiko sighed, kicking off her boots to the side. She walked inside the living, pulling off her hi-ate and ponytail so that her hair flowed freely, framing her face delicately. Her fingers combed through her hair as she plopped on the couch, face first. She laid there, almost as still as a rock, staring at the floor. She wanted to sleep so bad, but knew she shouldn't. Somebody had to watch Kenji, even if it was just her. There was just too much risk, even if they were still inside the village.

Her eyebrows furrowed. "Who would kidnap niisan? He's too strong to be a hostage. The enemy must really be something..."

Suddenly, she heard a high-pitch scream from upstairs. It startled her greatly. Her eyes went bloodshot, wide open.

Kenji! She jumped off the couch immediately, dashing upstairs like lightning. She could sense a second charkra. _Damnit! Did they find us?_

"KENJI!" Kimiko screamed as she burst the door open to Kenji's bedroom. "IF YOU DARE-eh?"

"AHHH IT'S SO COOL!" Kenji squealed, crouching down in front of a large, blue slug. He poked it several times, the slug not even flinching. With each poke, Kenji giggled even louder.

Kimiko, however, was left dumbfounded. She had a sweat drop. "What the hell..."

"Ah oneechan! Look at the bug! It's so slimy and squishy!" Kenji giggled innocently, now taking one of Pochi's paws into the slug. Kimiko blinked at the slug curiously.

_Slug? That means-_

"Oh, I didn't hear you guys come in," spoke a familiar voice.

Kimiko turned around, facing a blond woman that appeared around her forties. She had blue eyes and a curvaceous body. In her manicured hand was a new bottle of sake, the other leaning against the door frame.

"I hope you guys don't mind me raiding your parents' basement," Tsunade continued, pulling the cork out of the bottle easily. "God, your father has excellent taste."

Kenji grinned widely before dashing to her, hugging her legs. "TSUNADE-OBACHAN! What are you doing here?"

"Because I hate being an Elder, especially to Naruto! And is it wrong to see how my favorite student's children are doing? My you've grown, Kenji!" Tsunade chuckled, ruffling with his hair. "And you, Kimiko, beautiful as always, though you look like you gained weight. How much are you training lately?"

Kimiko blushed. "T-T-Tsunade-sama!"

Tsunade laughed. "Don't worry. I'm sure it's all muscle. Boys like a curvy girl."

"Doesn't explain why nobody's ever asked me out," Kimiko sighed.

"That's because men here are all pussies. They're all too scared of your father and Sousuke. It's good that you wait for a man with some guts to date an Uchiha."

Kimiko laughed. She couldn't help but agree.

"Anyway, you should clean up, Kimiko. I can take care of Kenji from here," Tsunade added, winking at her.

Kimiko was left confused, but then she realized the situation she was in. A grimaced look spread across her face as she bit her lips nervously. She nodded.

"T-Thanks, Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade placed a comforting hand on Kimiko's shoulder. "He'll be alright, Kimiko. Sousuke's a strong boy. Have faith in him."

Kimiko smiled softly. Slowly, she exited Kenji's room, walking towards the bathroom. She closed the door gently behind her as the shower turned on.

Then, Tsunade turned her attention to the young Kenji, who continued to poke her poor slug mercifully.

"Ne, Pochi, why is it so squishy? It bounces like this! See?" Kenji mumbled to his bunny.

Tsunade smiled at the scene. There was something strange about seeing a mini-version of Uchiha Sasuke, playing with a slug so innocently. It was a sign of happiness that Tsunade wondered if the young Sasuke ever had in his lifetime. Hard to imagine, but enough to wonder.

She took a seat next to Kenji, patting him playfully. "Oi, Kenji, you're going to hurt her. Don't poke her a million times."

"Hai," Kenji obeyed immediately. Such a cute child. And a sweet boy too. If only Sasuke was that easy to control. Tsunade sighed.

"Now, Kenji, isn't it time for bed?" Tsunade asked, picking him up with her arm as she brought him to his bed. The moment Kenji landed on his bed, he glared at her.

"No! I need to wrestle with oniichan first! And Okaachan has to tell me a bedtime story!" Kenji pouted, gripping his bunny toy tightly.

"True, but they won't be home for a while. Why don't I tell you a story?" Tsunade suggested. "I know a very good one concerning your parents."

"Really?" Kenji's eyes lit up. 'Like for their annivercakeries? Neji-jichan and Lee-sensei told one too, so it has to be about love! Oh, and start with 'once upon a time!'"

Tsunade laughed. "As you wish."

* * *

><p>Once upon a time, young Kenji...<p>

Your mother was really mad.

You know your mother well. When she gets mad, she gets _mad_. But she doesn't just explode at the moment. No, your mother's like a volcano: she bottles it all up until all a sudden, she lashes it out at the nearest person next to her. And when she's pissed, well...she's a ticking bomb. You don't know when you'll be on the receiving end.

And your father knew this well. _Very_ well.

See, his natural male-mind immediately assumed that she was mad at him for something when in reality, she was just pissed off at this annoying new intern at the hospital who kept messing everything up. Of course, being your mother, she keeps it all in and says that it's not a big deal to your father.

But your father took it the wrong way. He thought she was angry at him, that he had screwed something up somehow, and he needed to do something about it before he lost the chance of every rebuilding his clan, let alone her love.

Now why is this story important, Kenji? Well, let's just say, things started to take a turn when one day, I was minding my own business taking care of Hokage duties when your father showed up in my office, sucking up any pride he had left, and tried to sound as calm and normal as possible as these words were uttered from his mouth:

"What the hell is going on with Sakura?"

I nearly choked on my sake when I realized how desperate your father was. I mean, his face looked cold and irritated as usual. But when you looked deep in his eyes, there was a sense of...fear. And it amused me greatly why:

Uchiha Sasuke was scared of his own girlfriend's temper.

The fact that he had resorted to going to third parties like me just to figure out why Sakura was so mad, immediately assuming that he's at fault...well, I just _had_ to take advantage of the situation. I mean, I might as well enjoy it. You rarely see the Uchiha Sasuke begging for help like a dog.

So I decided to test out how far he would go just to figure out how to make your mother happy. So I stated my first test:

"Buy me a crate of the finest sake in Fire Country or else I ain't telling you nothing."

At first, I thought it didn't work. Your father practically gave me the glare of glares after I said that. He looked like he wanted to punch me, even though he was fully aware I could crack his face with a flick of my finger. He stormed out of the room without a word, slamming the door behind him. I thought I failed and my fun was already over.

Until he dumped a crate of sake on my desk three days later, all sweaty, tired, and exhausted from running around the country looking for sake.

I would have laughed like a maniac at his foolishness, but I kept my cool.

So, I kept my end of the bargain. Except, well, I toyed around with the idea. I wanted to put him into another test and see how far he'll go this time. So I made up that your mother was angry at your father because he was doing very poorly in their, well...bedroom fun (someday, you'll learn what it is, Kenji). I told him that Sakura had confided in me how horrible he was at it, always leaving her unsatisfied. His performance was simply dreadful to her. She had expected more from an Uchiha. Shameful, he was.

Okay, I honestly thought that he would be suspicious with me because he looked at me funny. I was worried that their" bedroom fun" didn't exist yet since they were still teenagers. But then his face went red and he was fuming like a train because I swore I saw smoke coming out of his ears. He just looked damn embarrassed. While super-glaring at me. Again, he storms out of my office. Without ever saying a word.

Next morning, I see Sakura in the hospital with her hair all messed up, hickies everywhere that skin showed, tired eyes, and awkwardly fidgeting whenever somebody said she looked like she just had bedroom fun.

It was very interesting.

To my enjoyment, Sakura's anger had yet to cool down. That annoying intern of hers had managed to somehow shred over ten years of patient records that threw your mother nearly off the edge. As a result, I see your father come in my office a few days later, asking me what she was angry at this time and what he did to make her like this.

So I did what any sane person would do in this situation that concerned Uchiha Sasuke: Force him to babysit Tonton the whole day and in return, tell him that she's angry because he never picks up the groceries. Never washes the dishes. Never does the laundry. Never cleans the house. Or even do chores.

And it's the same routine: He glares at me just hoping I die from it. Stomps out of my office like he's a dinosaur or something. And does what I tell him to do. And I then hear from Sakura about how wonderful he was yesterday by cleaning up their apartment without a single dustball in sight.

And the stupid intern does it again (thank the lords). During the surgery, the idiot forgot to disinfect the surgerical tools, giving the poor patient some random bacteria, and forcing your mother to stay overtime to do another surgery. I have no idea how that fool didn't get fired, but I could tell your mother was extremely pissed off because the next morning, your father came in my office with a bruise on his cheek. A really, really large bruise.

Yeah, I started to see how he immediately jumped to the conclusion that his girlfriend's anger was his fault. But I still didn't want to tell him the truth. Even if he paid for it. It was just too amusing seeing an Uchiha whipped for life.

This time, I made him get me the famous sand dumplings from Sunagakure. What did I say next when he came back to my office dying from exhaustion? He forgot yesterday was the Moon Lover's Day and did absolutely nothing for it. Now this wasn't even a real holiday and your father already believed me. And I know he did it. Cause he does the same thing as he did the last time.

Now that I've realized it worked three times, I just had to keep enjoying it. I mean, as long as that stupid intern kept pissing your mother off; I was having the time of my life teasing your poor father. It was strange how he never actually asked your mother what was wrong with her, but at first, I thought it was because he was too scared to know the horrible truth. Not that it actually matter to me; I had him clean my whole office, babysit Tonton, run all the way to Sunagakure, and actually do some of my paperwork thanks to his stupidity.

I have no idea how many holidays or events or excuses I made up as the answers to Sasuke's problem. All I knew was that each time, I got a good kick of out them. And damn was your father stupid. And cowardly. He should have just asked your mother instead of avoid it.

So I started to think over this situation more deeply. I was trying to come up with reasons for why your father never actually just asked your mother about the source of her problems. And why he always assumes he's at fault. But since that annoying intern finally got fired for simply being an idiot, my thoughts disappeared. I didn't wonder about the question for a long time. Probably because I was too busy noticing how deadly Sasuke's glares got when he finally discovered the true source of your mother's anger possibly because she celebrated it very loudly throughout the village.

Usually, I wouldn't remember this kind of thing. These kinds of events are unimportant; just musings to pass the time. But then, something else came up much later. And well, it made your father very distraught.

What could do such a thing to your father, who was a man that rarely showed his emotions?

Actually, you're still young Kenji. I won't tell you the full details. You won't understand until you're at the right age. I think you're old enough to know what I'm talking about.

Let's just say I finally found the answer to my question the moment your father thought he lost your mother forever.

It's true. There was a time when your mother's life was in danger, and he thought that he would lose her. That it was all his fault. And to blame himself so quickly like that...it made me think back to when I convinced him how it was his fault for her anger. And how guilty I felt for putting him through it, for manipulating him for something as stupid as amusement. It made me think back to my moment of torturing him, why Sasuke acted so cold, and why he treated Sakura to way he did.

The reason he always assumed Sakura was only angry at him was because he could never forgive himself. He had hurt her so many times in the past and he's scared he would do it over and over again. He assumes it to the point that he had convinced himself so easily that he was the only reason for her anger. If she cried, he thought it was because of him. If she was mad, he thought it was because he couldn't make her happy. If she was ever hurt, he would immediately assume he was too weak to protect her. He had lost so many loved ones in his life that if anything should ever happen to her, he would immediately blame himself. And no one else.

His mentality at the time was that he constantly failed her. He failed to live up to the expectations of what a man does for love. He truly believed that. This mentality consumed him to the point that he was ready to accept any notion that he was the reason for her unhappiness. It was this belief that held back your parents' relationship from going something beyond just a boy and a girl in love. It is this belief that separates a child that's in love from an adult that understands love. Without recognizing it, marriage would be an impossible task.

But he forgot that for every moment he had made sad, he gave her ten more moments of happiness. He was so worried about your mother's happiness that he sometimes forgot all the other times he made her smile. And their relationship wouldn't last to this point if he didn't realize that. The only reason your father was able to marry your mother was because he had finally forgiven himself. That was the only way for them to be married. Otherwise, there would be no future for them.

Sure, there are times when your mother is truly angry at your father because men are pigs in the end (not you, Kenji, you're a sweet little boy). And yes, there are times when your parents aren't on the best of terms. But that's what comes with love. You're always angriest with the people you love most. At the same time, you are happiest with the people you love most as well. That's why she'll always be happy with him. And he'll always be happy with her. And that's why their marriage is a success.

* * *

><p>"So, Kenji, I hope you'll learn from your father's mistake and be a good gentleman like your big brother," Tsunade finished, her head turning to the boy.<p>

Beside her, Kenji had already fallen asleep, lying on his soft bed. He gripped his bunny toy tightly, hoping to never let it go. He snored quietly, making the former Hokage chuckle. She stood up, lifted Kenji slightly, and placed the blanket around his tiny body. She fixed his pillow and moved his head on it. She brushed away some of his bangs, giving her a closer look of his sleepy face.

_He looks so happy and peaceful..._Tsunade thought. _Such a child can only come from a happy marriage._

"Eh, looks like Uchiha's been a good boy to my student," Tsunade whispered to herself. She kissed Kenji's forehead softly and left the room, turning off the lights.

The whole house was in complete darkness, nearly matching the night sky. Before she went downstairs, however, Tsunade turned around, heading to another room. She opened the doorknob slowly, frowning at the sight before her.

"Kimiko, you need to sleep," Tsunade advised.

The teenage girl turned around, facing Tsunade. She was sitting upright on her bed, still in her ninja outfit, and a kunai in her hand. Kimiko's eyes widened slightly, before she looked down.

"Sorry," Kimiko apologized, lowering down the kunai. "I just don't want anything happening now."

Tsunade approached her, taking the kunai out of her hands. "Nothing's going to happen to Kenji, and you, while you're in this village. Why do you think I'm here?"

Kimiko smiled. "I thought Naruto-jiisan told you to come here so I didn't sneak out."

"That too, but I'm just here to watch over you two. Now go to sleep. You're going to need it."

Kimiko nodded. She bit her lips nervously, an action that did not go unnoticed by the former Hokage. Tsunade smiled reassuringly at her.

"Kimiko, Sousuke's one of the strongest ninja we have in this village. He could be Hokage give or take a few years," Tsunade said calmly. "So have faith in him. He's too stubborn to die."

Kimiko smiled sincerely, her dark eyes turning to the glittery, starry sky before her window.

"That's true..."

* * *

><p>"Ano, Uchiha-san?"<p>

"Hai?" Sakura looked up as she disinfected the tools in the sink, a medical mask covering the bottom half of her face. She and one of the nurses she worked with were currently washing tools. They were working on a patient for their heart surgery. The nurse, timid, glanced at the floor.

"Um, well, I just noticed that you're really calm about this," the nurse noted.

Sakura's eyes twinkled slightly, allowing the nurse to tell that she was smiling underneath her mask. "It's something that comes with practice, especially after 20 years on the job. It's scary at first, but overtime, you realize you need to be calm in order to help the patients."

"Iie, I meant..." the nurse trailed off, nervous to add on. Sakura raised an eyebrow. "about your son."

"Ah, Sousuke," Sakura cleared up, nodding her head. "Yes, well..."

The nurse's eyes widened as she started wavering her hands around frantically. "Ah, sorry! I-I didn't mean to make it worse, Uchiha-san! Please forgive me!"

"It's okay," Sakura gave her a sympathetic look. "I'm sure my son will be okay after this ordeal."

"Erm, just out of curiosity, why didn't the Hokage send a medic-nin on t-the team? W-What if something happened to him?" The nursed pressed on.

Sakura chuckled. "Training isn't just father-son quality time; I've taught Sousuke some medical ninjutsu. I would teach him more, but his charkra control isn't perfect, so he only knows enough to keep him alive."

The nurse nodded in awe. There was something too perfect about Uchiha Sousuke.

"B-But, you seem so confident about it. You always look so concentrated on the surgery; nobody would ever guessed something happened to your son."

"I do worry about Sousuke, very," Sakura confessed, proceeding to wash her hands. "But I feel much better when I know that my husband is on his rescue mission. If he wasn't, I would be panicking right now. Also..."

The nurse looked up, surprised that Sakura had pulled down her mask, revealing a bright smile.

"I believe in my son's strength."

* * *

><p>Sousuke landed on the ground lightly, returning his sword to its sheath smoothly. His heavy breaths echoed throughout the room as his sharingan slowly returned to its familiar, black orbs.<p>

"Thought you would...huff...be able to...huff...figure it out...huff...through our eye contact huh...huff..."

The enemy choked out blood, coughing.

"I-I-Impossible...h-how did I not detect your genjutsu..." he croaked, a hand covering his face. "...Just like Uchiha Shisui..." The enemy tried to stand up, but he fell back to the ground with a thud. He groaned painfully.

"Don't move if you want...huff...to live..." Sousuke breathed. "Your bones are beyond...huff...repair...huff...your shinobi days are over...huff..."

Sousuke examined himself, wincing at how damaged his body was. Though he had few wounds, he considered them pretty deep and could turn life-threatening if he didn't treat them soon. His charkra was extremely low, making it almost impossible to heal himself unless he waited. He wiped the last of the blood drenching on his lips, spitting the rest out immediately. Then, he heard a audible cackle escape from his enemy. _God, this guy's stubborn._

"Fufufu...the ninjutsu style of Uchiha Sasuke...combined with the medical knowledge of Haruno Sakura...you make a worthy candidate for Hokage, Sousuke-kkuuunnn..."

Sousuke remained silent, only staring at the pitiful man, watching as he twiddled with his fingers.

"However, you are too soft."

As if on instinct, Sousuke found his sharingan activate on its own. And suddenly, he found himself screaming, yet felt nothing coming out of his mouth. It was all in his head. He dropped to his knees, clutching his head tightly. His nails dug into his scalp, hoping to burn the pain away. It was too gruesome, this pain. The screams echoed and rang back and forth. He could barely breath. His eyes were blood-shot, his sharingan refusing to back down.

Was it turning against him? He didn't understand. This man must have done something to him. It felt like a thousand daggers stabbing into his brain, continuously and eternally. And yet, it refused to die. Go away. He wanted it to disappear so bad, he wouldn't mind ending his life.

But he couldn't. Not when there was a village at home waiting for him. A family waiting for him. Friends waiting for him. Everybody.

_I see for what you are...Sousuke-kun..._

Great, now he was in his head. What could go worse? Get out. Now. He told his enemy. Or he thought so. He gritted his teeth, hoping another scream wouldn't erupt from his lips.

_You may be the successor to the Uchiha Clan...Your strength rivaled by few..._

His mind flashed scenes now.

_A child. A dark-haired child threw a dozen kunais at the various targets up in the air. It was him, barely in the Academy. He landed softly on the ground, turning to his father. He wasn't impressed. Do it again, he remembered his father saying. Sousuke obeyed, scowling and glaring. He threw the kunais again, this time aiming straight for his father. Sasuke didn't move an inch. Instead, he watched as his son's kunai flick his Kusunagi right out of his sheath. He remembered. The day he proved his father that he was no ordinary boy. Let alone an Uchiha._

_Memories. The man was replaying memories of him._

_His eleventh birthday. At the training grounds. Weaponless. Until his father threw a sword into his hands. It was heavy. His father told him he would get use to it. His first sword. For graduating from the Academy. Next thing he knew, His father had taken out his Kusunagi and aimed for him. Sousuke dodged it swiftly, earning an impressed smirk from his father. His father struck again, forcing Sousuke to withdraw the sword. He barely blocked the attack. The dominant hand on the bottom; the other, on top, Sousuke remembered his father advising. The day he first he learned how to use a sword._

_He emerged victorious at the Chuunin Exams, the only person, let alone rookie, to pass that year. Unbelievably strong for a youth. Such a polite, fair child. Capable of leading his own team one day. Wouldn't be surprised if he ended up as the Hokage. As expected of the Uchiha clan. He remembered ambassadors from nearly every ninja village telling him these things. Without a sharingan, nonetheless. He glanced over his father, noticing how he fidgeted at the mention of "sharingan" tied with "Sousuke." Sousuke wasn't sure why, but he never asked. The day he made a name of himself in the whole world of shinobi._

_And just hours later, it would also be the day he learned how to use the chidori._

_But inside your little good boy cover up..your nice boy ideals...you harbor a darkness within you...a darkness that no Uchiha can escape..._

_Only a child, waking up in the middle of the night, but not from a nightmare. No. Sousuke got out his bed as his eyes crept through the small opening to the door of his parents' bedroom. They were talking. Angrily. And loudly. His father looked annoyed, pissed at least. His mother was just beyond disappointed. He couldn't make out what they were talking, no, arguing about. All that he could think of was how his father had suddenly stormed out of the room, out of the house, leaving behind his mother to cry silently. The first day he saw his mother cry. As well as the first day he witnessed his parents fight._

_His first C-ranked mission as a genin. They were only supposed to protect an important artist from robbers and bandits. Unfortunately, the worse always came. Ninjas from enemy villages were after the artists, and Sousuke, along with his teacher Tenten and the rest of his genin team, had no choice but to fight them. They had separated the genin from Tenten-sensei. While his teammates were worn out with broken bones, a whole force of ninjas surrounded them, leaving Sousuke the only one to protect them both. He fought through them well, enough to knock them out. The first day he truly felt like someone's protector._

_But one of them, the leader, was much too stubborn. No matter how many times Sousuke wounded him, the leader refused to give up. Sousuke could have easily aimed for the heart, and yet, he remembered how shaky and sweaty his hands became as he gripped his sword. He remained frozen, defending his teammates, heart pounding at the uneasiness. His life would have ended if Tenten-sensei hadn't arrived on time, striking several weapons at their enemy. She didn't say anything about it to Sousuke, only asking the whole team if they were okay. Sousuke, however, couldn't speak, his whole body shaking. He never knew how much this could affect him. It also became first day he saw someone killed before his eyes._

_More screams. This time it was a higher-pitch. A child's scream. It was so painful. Sousuke didn't remember this, yet it felt so familiar. He felt the pang in his heart pounding over and over again. With each scream he heard, he felt something hit him all over his body. A whip lash. A chain. A kunai. Anything made to cause pain. When he looked up, he saw a little boy. A little boy with dark hair and pale skin. All beaten-up. Laying motionless on the ground. When the little boy's head looked up, Sousuke went frantic._

_It was him. Him as a child, no older than four. With the blood red eyes of the sharingan._

_No, this can't be it, he thought. This genjutsu. I don't remember this. I didn't get my sharingan until I was 13. So why does this feel so real..._

But it didn't make any sense. Nothing ever did.

Before his mind went blank, he felt the concrete wall explode, followed by various voices.

_Funny..._Sousuke thought he heard his father scream out his name.

* * *

><p>YAY ANOTHER CHAPTER DONE!<p>

COMMENTARY TIME!

Since Kenji's the listener here, I wanted to keep the story relatively light and slightly humorous. I've always had this idea that Sasuke always assumes Sakura's angry at him when really, she's not. So I decided for a comedic approach to it. I actually based this story on an event that happened to my boyfriend where he kept asking my friends what was wrong with me and they made up crazy stories up haha. Of course, my real-life counterpart moment never went as extreme as here (obviously). I also wanted to include the notion of Sasuke and forgiveness and how they tie. That motif will come up as important in future chapters, so keep an eye out for that. Otherwise, I don't have much to say about the past story.

So in this chapter, we get to see Sousuke's powers and how he is as a ninja. I made him pretty tough, ne? And maybe a bit too perfect, almost like a male-version of Mary Sue. I hope I can still retain his imperfections throughout the story like I can with Sasuke. I will explain later as the story goes on why I decided to make Sousuke the nice guy in the story compared to being exactly like his father. I'm very entertained with all the theories you guys have on Sousuke's past and one of you is close to it, but not exactly on spot. I wrote out a huge hint of what happened in Sousuke's childhood that hopefully, you guys can figure out on your own before I reveal it. I made the fight only last the whole chapter because I feel like it's not as important to the story as what's to come. Besides, I don't like reading such a descriptive yet single fight that last for more than five chapters. That's just overkill, people. Until then, thanks for reading! Again, I'll try my best to fit in another chapter before school starts.

Now for the hint! I debated whether to include a SasuSaku story in the next chapter because it wouldn't be able to properly fit the tone, but I'm going to take the risk!

Here's the hint:

Highness


	11. The Unfortunate Messenger

Chapter 10: The Unfortunate Messenger

CONGRATULATIONS TO:

_SweetAngels123_

_ItachanPastaLover_

_Claudette14_

_dorkykorean_

_StellaMarris_

_Pookie Boo_

YAY YOU GOT IT RIGHT! Some of you are on a winning streak here haha. Anyway, long time no see people! So I just started school on Tuesday and OMG FIRST WEEK OF SENIOR YEAR IS TIRING! I'm just exhausted with Key club, AP classes, SAT, tennis, and UGH HOMECOMING! I actually did decide to be on court, which I REALLY debated on and I dunno if it's worth it or not. I mean, as much as it's great, I feel like it's becoming a waste of time. The only compensation I have is that I'm paired with one of my bestest friend from King and Queen but that's it. I get really irritated on Court meetings because it's all about taking pictures, getting interviewed by freshman, doing a talent show it's just...hectic. I mean, I'm starting to think I need that time for more important things. But then I feel bad leaving my friend hanging. I dunno what to do :(

Okay, so the stories are gonna be longer to make up for the absences in between chapters due to school. I need to get back to concentrating on that and when I have spare time, I'll do another chapter. Don't be surprised if it takes at least a month for it to come back because, well, IT'S SENIOR YEAR PEOPLE! AND THEN COLLEGE APPS WILL COME AND THAT'LL TAKE EVEN LONGER! PITY ME PLEASE!

For now, enjoy!

* * *

><p>Heavy breaths followed her as she burst through the front doors of the village hospital. The sound of her boots was loud, enough for the surrounding nurses to hear her every step. Her steps were vicious, yet it did not match her expression. Uchiha Kimiko's face was filled with worry, almost to the point of panicking. Sweat treckled down her face, as her black orbs concentrated only on the hallway before her.<p>

Trudging along, Kenji was held tightly by his older sister's hand as they made their way. In his other arm, he clutched his bunny toy tightly. He gulped. He never liked hospitals, even if his mother worked here. Only in his mother's office did he find comfort for ever coming to this place. He had too many bad experiences within this place, especially ones that concerned his family. Just like now...

Kenji gulped. "O-O-Oneechan, h-he's back right? Oniichan?"

Kimiko's steps never faltered as she glanced to him. "Hai, but..." They had received his return just moments ago. Except, it wasn't exactly the best of news.

She was nearing her destination when she saw a familiar, old face blocking the doorway. Kakashi looked up to her, and she could clearly see a frown form underneath his dark mask.

"Kakashi-ojisan..." Kimiko began nervously. He shook his head. Before she could mistook it for another meaning, Kakashi spoke up.

"I can't let you in."

"But, he's okay, r-right? He has to be! They told me he crippled that guy!"

"Yes, he did, Kimiko," Kakashi replied calmly. "He fought his kidnapper; however-"

"SO WHY THE HELL IS HE IN THE HOSPITAL?"

Kakashi was about to speak, noticing the burning tears that welled up around Kimiko's eyes. Then, they heard somebody rushing in quite harshly. Both of them turned around, facing a very worn-out Uchiha Sasuke making his way to Sousuke's hospital room. He had several small wounds, nothing life-threatening. Then, Kimiko noticed a large gash on her father's shoulder, still bleeding. But knowing her own father, Kimiko knew that he didn't give a crap if he was going to bleed to death. Sasuke marched closer to Sousuke's room, nodding in recognition of Kakashi. He had yet to make eye contact with either of his children.

"Did Sound try to recover the body?" Kakashi inquired.

"He's still alive; ANBU's got him for interrogation. Had to fend off some Sound-nins that tried to take him back. Sakura in there with him?"

"Ah, since the other's brought him back. She's in there with him for almost an hour. Uzumaki Nanako and a few other nurses are inside."

"Makes sense to have the Byagukan; he suffered some head trauma. What's his situation?" Kimiko followed through their conversation very carefully and curiously. How could her father remain so calm about her brother, as well as his son, at the point of life and death?

"Sousuke's condition hasn't stabilized yet. Go inside; your wife will fill you in."

Sasuke nodded. "Kakashi, inform the Hokage to increase the guards for tonight; Sound's up to something funny."

Kakashi nodded, walking away immediately. Sasuke winced slightly at his wound, but ignored it immediately as he reached for the doorknob. He was, unfortunately, stopped by the sound of his daughter's voice.

"Otousan, please let me see him-"

"Wait outside with Kenji."

"W-W-What happened...ot-t-touchan?" Kenji asked nervously, the bottom half of his face covered by his bunny toy.

Sasuke halted for a moment, glancing back at his youngest, then back to his daughter. Her eyes were slightly red, probably from tears just a while ago. She would have wiped them off. He sighed, his hand leaving the doorknob as he turned to both his children. He bent down to his knees so that he was looking at Kenji on eye-level. He struggled to get his words out.

"Your brother got attacked during a mission today. He's very injured. I need to be in there with your mother so I can help her heal him. Can you be a good boy and wait outside here with your sister, Kenji?"

Kenji nodded weakly. "H-He's going to be okay, right? Oniichan?"

It was at this point that Sasuke was truly at a loss of words. He stared at Kenji's big black eyes just bulging out of his small face. They may resemble Sasuke's but, deep down, the Uchiha patriarch knew that it wasn't. Instead, he just smiled. He rarely did.

"You look like your mother right now," he chuckled, ruffling with his son's hair. He stood up abruptly, facing Kimiko, his expression turning stern. He gave her one last look before entering into the hospital room.

Any parent would have broken down at the sight of their child, bleeding uncontrollably, damaged all over his body, and screaming in pain on a hospital bed struggling to live. But not Uchiha Sasuke. Nor his wife, Uchiha Sakura. They had to save their oldest son, Sousuke.

It was the exact sight Sasuke saw as he entered the room. Sousuke was laying on the bed, shaking uncontrollably as Sakura's hands wavered around, surrounding by green charkra, as she healed each wound as quickly as she could. Sousuke's eyes were closed as he panted heavily and uneven breaths that scared Sasuke. Sasuke noticed Sousuke's hands were still balled up in tight fists, noticing a hint of blood escaping. He glanced over to Sakura; she looked really tired, yet determined to finish her work. Across the room, several nurses were formulating and measuring amounts of medicine for his son.

On the other side of Sousuke's bed was his best friend's daughter, Uzumaki Nanako. Sasuke was well aware the girl was training to be a medic-nin, as it helped that she possessed the Byagukan. Her normal blue eyes were currently replaced with white, veined ones, scanning carefully at his body, while her nimble hands reached to each spot. Nanako looked up, realizing the presence of the ANBU Captain.

"Sasuke-jiichan..." she whispered. The sound of her husband's name caused Sakura to look up, her eyes widening slightly at the sight of him. She sighed in relief, but only for a brief second. He rushed to her side, analyzing his son.

"How are the kids?" Sakura asked quickly.

"They're right outside; Kimiko's watching Kenji. How's Sousuke?"

"He left his wounds untreated for too long; they've been contaminated. Not to mention, he's losing a lot of blood," Sakura explained in a hurried tone. "He's charkra is really low; he wouldn't have had enough to heal himself."

"I should have brought a medic-nin," Sasuke then cursed underneath his breath. A scream erupted from Sousuke as he struggled to escape from the bed. Sasuke immediately pushed his son back down, pinning him from moving.

"You didn't sedate him?"

"It would have worked if _someone_ hadn't added weird stuff to his diet that gave our son immunity to many sedatives and drugs," Sakura lectured in an annoyed tone, exchanging glares with her husband. "I told you it would backfire on him one day! Nanako, how fast is it spreading?"

"I've closed off the majority of points around the head and heart, but it's building up around them. A small amount snuck in his brain, but it's enough to cause him hallucinations."

"Spreading?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

Sakura nodded. "There must have been some special type of drug in the enemy's weapon. Honestly, I think the hallucinations are the source of his pain."

"You just said Sousuke had immunity to these drugs!" Sasuke yelled, not comprehending his wife's words.

"_Many_ drugs, Sasuke-kun, not all," Sakura gritted through her teeth.

"He's under a genjutsu," Nanako added, growing a bit uncomfortable with the couple's mini-love spat. "His charkra flow isn't regular." Sousuke screamed again, this time louder and painful. He slammed his fist against the bedsheets, causing Nanako to jump slightly.

"Then we'll just counter it until you remove that drug," Sasuke suggested, his eyes activating into the infamous, red sharingan.

He glanced over to Nanako, and she nodded, understanding immediately. Gently, her fingers prodded to Sousuke's eyes as her fingers lifted one lid, forcing his eyes to be open. Sasuke was startled. Sousuke still had the sharingan on. This wasn't going to be good. Because the moment he made eye contact with Sousuke, Sasuke suddenly felt his sharingan elevate to a new level, to his Mangekyou. Through his son's eyes, he saw black flames growing within, followed by a drop of blood flowing down his cheek. Sasuke's eyes widened when he felt the same thing happen to him.

"SHIT!" Sasuke cursed loudly as he whipped his head away from Sousuke, falling down to his knees. Nanako gasped, leaving her place to help Sasuke get up.

"Jiichan? Sasuke-jiichan, what happened?" Nanako asked, healing his eye for a few seconds until the bleeding stopped. Sasuke nodded in gratitude, getting up just as quickly.

"Sasuke-kun, that was..." Sakura began, almost frantically. Sasuke nodded.

"They placed a genjutsu on him that activates on others only when he sees the sharingan," Sasuke explained. "It's making me activate my Mangekyou and forced me to use the Amateratsu on instinct for defense."

"The eternal flames? B-But if you use that on Sousuke-nii..." Nanako whispered, gasping in shock on the revelation. Sasuke nodded. "...you'll kill him."

"You can't set up the counter genjutsu without the sharingan!" Sakura argued, panic rising in her voice. "This type specifically aimed for his eyes, so if you can't use it, we have to find another ninja who uses eye techniques!"

"But only the Uchiha and Hyuuga clan use eye techniques in Konoha," Nanako replied helplessly. "And the Hyuuga clan doesn't use it for genjutsu. Plus, Sasuke-ji's the only one capable of making a counter genjutsu."

Sakura's eyes widened, staring at her son. He was in so much pain. And they all seem so hopeless. Her hands shot to his forehead, which was burning up incredibly fast. "Sousuke..."

Sasuke, however, wanted to look anywhere but his son. His eyes kept bouncing back and forth from his terrified wife, the nervous Nanako, and to the door. Then, his eyes widened in shock.

No, he couldn't do that. He shouldn't even. The scene itself would be too much. But Sousuke was going to die any second now. And yet, Sasuke knew there was no other way.

* * *

><p>Kimiko didn't know how much longer she could hear her older brother scream in the other room.<p>

It hadn't been half an hour, and here Kimiko was, nearly at the point of just running out just to avoid hearing Sousuke in pain. She had immediately reached to cover Kenji's ears as tightly as possible, just so he wouldn't have to endure it. But Kimiko knew it hadn't succeeded, because Kenji clutched Pochi to death. He whimpered dearly, trying his best not to let the tears fall. He was now sitting on her lap, burying his face into her chest.

Another ear-piercing scream from their older brother. Kenji looked up, his eyes now red from crying.

"Oneechan, why can't oniichan stop screaming? It's scary!" Kenji sniffled.

Kimiko patted him gently on the head. "He's going to be okay. He has to be." Frankly, she had a hard time believing herself too.

Then, the door opened, revealing her father's fatigued figure. He breathed heavily, closing the door gently behind him. He stared at his daughter sternly.

"Inside. Now." He ordered.

Kimiko didn't even bother to argue, only glancing back and forth from Kenji to her father. Kenji nodded firmly. "I-I-I'll be okay."

Kimiko kissed Kenji quickly on the forehead, following her father inside Sousuke's room. Her heart nearly stopped when she entered.

It was one thing to hear the painful screams of her brother; it was another to actually witness it. She had never seen Sousuke in so much pain, struggling to live. The wounds that marred his body made her want to gag. Her mother, who still continued to heal his wounds, panicked like never before, and suddenly, Kimiko thought she had aged ten years in a night. Her best friend, Nanako, pinned her brother helplessly, sweat drenching her tan face.

Kimiko gulped, turning to her father. She could tell he was doing his best to keep his calm expression. "O-Otousan? What am I-"

"You're going to do a counter genjutsu on your brother."

Kimiko gasped. She was hoping he had said something different but according to her memory...he didn't.

She backed away from her father slowly, in fear. "No, no, I can't," she breathed weakly, glancing over to Sousuke. "I-I-I can't do it. I don't know how. I'm going to mess up somehow. Otousan, p-p-please, don't-"

"This isn't the time to argue-"

"What if I screw up? I'm no good at genjutsu, y-y-you said it yourself. I'm not like n-n-niisan. You can do it better, please, don't make me-"

"You have to-"

"I CAN'T! I WON'T!" Kimiko bursted in tears, shaking her head furiously. "WHAT IF I END UP KILLING HIM? I'M NOT STRONG!"

"YOU SHUT UP!" Kimiko jumped at her father's monstrous voice. He rarely yelled at her like that. His eyes were in pure anger, and yet, Kimiko did not believe it wasn't at her.

"I did not raise you to belittle yourself, Kimiko," Sasuke grilled through his teeth. "If anything, I was half-hoping you ended up just as cocky as me since Sousuke didn't."

Kimiko sniffled, her whimpering over. But she couldn't say the same for her tears, which continued to stream down her cheeks like a waterfall.

"You said you wanted to protect your brother, right? Well, he needs you now, more than ever. Especially since I can't help him. His genjutsu would force my Mangekyou to kill him, and only a sharingan can counter it. Yours is still pure from the Mangekyou; you can set up the counter without harming him. Can you do that?"

Kimiko stared at her father, wide-eyed. She looked away, her bangs covering her face. Sasuke noticed how her bangs framed her face that way his did to him.

"I-I'm scared..." she confessed weakly.

"I'll help you; Any sign of trouble, you let me know," Sasuke told her, his solemn expression returning.

Quickly, she wiped away her tears with the back of her arm, staring at her father sternly. She nodded to him as they both returned their attention to Sousuke. She stood directly at the foot of his bed, taking in a deep breath. She tried her best not to let her brother's scream affect her. She closed her eyes, allowing her charkra to sink it. Then, she felt the warm, rough hand of her father's on her shoulder. With his nod of confirmation, her eyes opened.

"Sharingan!"

The three tomoes spun quickly and within seconds, she could only see darkness. The screams echoed within her. It then followed by a rapid slideshow of memories of Sousuke's past, probably at least ten years worth of memories rushing into a mere second. They repeated over and over again. As each scene passed, another scream came.

"I'm in his head now," she said. "This guy is using the memories against him."

"Pinpoint the trigger," Sasuke noted as she nodded obediently. "There should be a trigger memory that causes the pattern to inflict pain on him."

Kimiko's eyes widened. This was no good. There were too many memories of Sousuke's flashing before her. All going too quickly. They fast-forwarded to the next in probably a mili-second. She didn't even have time to observe what these memories were about and why they were the source of Sousuke's pain. Her eyes bounced back and forth.

"I-I d-d-don't know. It's going too fast. I-I-"

"Don't rush it," Sasuke stated sternly. "Don't just use your eyes; listen to the flow. Figure out how the pattern works. Find where his charkra movements are at his highest."

Kimiko obeyed. The memories flashed before her, but this time, she could hear the conversations within. They overlapped one another, but she could clearly make out each person's voice. Then, just as she felt Sousuke's charkra rise to a dangerous level, she saw an image of two figures fighting each other ferociously. Two dark-haired men who looked so similar to one another, their blades meeting. One glared at the other in complete rage, lashing out in an animalistic cry. The image of her own brother, Sousuke, striking their father dead in the chest.

_It couldn't be real; Otousan's still alive, unless-_

"I got it!" Unfortunately, it passed by before she even knew what to do. "But otousan, it's him attacking you-"

"It's probably tampered. You're going to undo it. Locate the base of that memory, and give him an illusion of the simplest level of that base. It'll rework its way back to the original."

Kimiko didn't press on, watching the scene replay itself after a long line of memories. Sousuke. Attacking. Their father. The base. The simplest level. Their father. Dead. Swords. Everytime she got it, she didn't think it would work. In fact, it would have done more harm than good. The base, the base of the memory...what could it be...

Then, it hit her. She pictured the images of the scene before her over and over again and with a few hand seals, inplanted them into Sousuke's mind. The flow of Sousuke's memories suddenly slowed down, if only for a brief moment.

Then, Sousuke screamed again. Louder, and more painful, than Kimiko ever heard.

She didn't have time to react, for she felt her father's hand rashfully grab her shoulder and lunged her out of the room. She barely saw his stern face when he eyed her and Kenji.

"Otousan, what's going on, I'm sorry, what-"

"Stay there," he ordered before returning to the room. The door shut loudly in front of her shocked, horrified expression. She couldn't help but feel like a total screw-up.

* * *

><p>Nearly an hour had passed since Kimiko was in Sousuke's hospital room. The screams had died to quiet muffles, yet she was unsure of the outcome. She had taken Kenji to the lounge room, away from the painful noises. She sat in there, impatiently tapping her foot up and down without realizing it. Sweat beads fell down her forehead as she bit her thumb nervously. She couldn't help but stare back and forth between the door and Kenji.<p>

Kenji, on the otherhand, could not be any worse. His eyes seem to be widened for eternal, staring at the ground. His innocent face had darken as if he saw a horror scene. He rocked back and forth in his chair, holding Pochi tightly to his tiny chest.

_He shouldn't have to go through this; nobody should..._

Then, the door to the lounge room slowly opened. Kimiko stood up abruptly, waiting to see either her mother or father. However, it was only her best friend, Nanako, who looked beyond exhausted. Because her best friend was the Hokage's daughter, a princess basically, Kimiko was so used to seeing Nanako dressed up everyday in perfect hair, makeup, and clothes. Now, Nanako was a wreck. Her eyeshadow creased heavily, bags appeared under her eyes, and Nanako's usually sleek blond hair was starting to frizz up, certain strands breaking free from her pigtails. But then, Nanako was a medic-nin in her own right; she was now getting her hands dirty.

Nanako wiped off the sweat from her forehead, breaking a small smile. "You did it, Kimi-chan. He's alright now."

Kimiko was ready to burst in tears of happiness, but she kept it welled inside. Instead, she sighed in relief, leaning back against her chair.

"I'm so glad. Thank you, Nanako-chan."

"Don't worry about it, Kimi-chan. Sousuke's the closest thing to a brother for me too, so I had to work hard."

Kimiko smiled weakly. "Weird how you could look like a zombie, yet look so happy at the same time."

Nanako giggled as she went over to the sink to wash her face. "You have no idea how tired I am! How does Sakura-baachan handle this for the last 20 years?"

Kimiko shrugged. "Not exactly the glam life of Konoha's princess, is it?"

"Iie, I think it's more exciting," Nanako admitted. She glanced up, her eyebrow raising at Kenji. "Everything good, Kenji?"

Kenji nodded weakly. "Just sleepy."

"You must be tired, Kenji," Kimiko noticed, staring at his droopy eyes. "I think we can take you back now that we know niisan's going to be fine."

"I can take him back to my place if you like, Kimi," Nanako offered sweetly. "I'm sure you'll want to see Sousuke. Plus, Kenji can have a sleepover."

"Really? Can I, oneechan? I like staying at Naruto-jiji's!" Kenji pleaded, suddenly excited again. Kimiko laughed.

"Alright, let's go be with them for now, Kenji," Kimiko said as Kenji jumped out of his seat. "Thanks a lot, Nanako-chan."

"Anytime. They're still in Sousuke's room. I'll go change and clean up, so wait for me a bit," Nanako added exiting the lounge room.

Following outside, Kimiko and Kenji headed down to Sousuke's room, where she assumed he was still asleep. She took her time in her pace so Kenji wouldn't have to catch up, yet Kimiko felt her footsteps quicken. It was a miracle that Sousuke survived, let alone with her help. She wondered why her father himself was unable to perform the counter genjutsu. It was definitely odd. Never had her father asked for her help in his place, especially for a technique she herself never mastered. Strange it was indeed.

As she and Kenji came closer to the room, Kimiko couldn't help but notice how quiet Sousuke's room was. No lights were on throughout the hospital, darkness blanketing their surroundings. Kimiko raised an eyebrow, curious if her parents were even in the room.

She unlocked the door, opening it slowly and steadily to not make any noises. She peered through the small opening, pausing at the unfamiliar sight before her. Her black eyes widened greatly, the shock clearly written on her face.

Sitting on the side of Sousuke's bed were her parents, holding each other in an embrace, her mother silently crying into her father's chest.

Sasuke had his arms around Sakura, pulling her tightly to his chest. Sakura's tears were slowly drenching the middle spot of his shirt, but he didn't seem to care. He had one hand behind her back and the other behind her pink hair. Her delicate hands clutched onto the collar of his white jacket tightly, wanting to be nowhere but with him. He rubbed her back in slow motions, and then kissed her softly on her forehead. There was something in her father's eyes that was different to Kimiko. The stern, harsh, coldness of his eyes disappeared. His guard was down, his black eyes gentle like never before, a moment Kimiko rarely saw.

Kimiko could not move from her spot, nor Kenji. Never had they seen such a display between their parents. They were both such strong people, refusing to show any signs of weakness or vulnerability. Obviously for any other parent, this would be normal; they had nearly lost their first child, their eldest son. Of course normal parents would be distraught. But for her mother to cry to her father, and to see him whisper words of comfort...it was new.

Kimiko closed the door again quietly, without letting them know she and Kenji were ever there. There would always be time for them to visit their older brother in the morning. Tonight, she would let them have their moment.

* * *

><p>Naruto did everything in his power to keep his eyes open as he stared down at the papers under him.<p>

Usually, he disliked staying up this late for his job, but today called for it. He was now back at his mansion, grumbling. He rather keep work back at the office where it belonged, refusing to take it home with him, until Shizune kicked him out for not getting enough sleep. Not that he would actually listen to that woman anyway; Naruto was still up late, on the breakfast table, scanning each word through his reading glasses.

As he flipped through another page, Naruto noticed a pale hand place a cup of tea next to the stacks of paper. Naruto paused his reading, glancing to the person next to him. He smiled at the new woman in sleeping robes.

"You didn't have to get up for me, Hinata-chan."

Uzumaki Hinata only smiled. She had matured greatly in her physical appearance, her face losing its roundness. She no longer possessed the bangs that always hid her eyes, now wearing a long braid to the side. The only that never changed were her white eyes as brilliant as the moon.

"I never thought you would end up as those kages who stayed up late for his duty almost every night," Hinata giggled, massaging his shoulder. She had rid of her stammer long ago, though it was prone to come up at certain occasions.

Naruto grinned weakly in return, sipping the warm tea. He licked his lips, savoring the delicious flavor of honey mixed with white tea, yet not too caffeinated. "Thanks a bunch. I'm so glad you're not like those wives who would yak at me to go to bed."

"I know how important it is for you," Hinata replied, glancing at the many papers sprawled around the table. "Any I enjoy seeing you in glasses; it makes you look smarter."

"But handsome, right?" Naruto joked, fixing his glasses again as he kissed his wife. "I'll finish up a few more, then I'll join you."

"It's fine. I'm waiting on Nanako anyway," Hinata said, glancing at the door with a worried face. "She's taken quite a while at the hospital. Do you think Sousuke'll be fine?"

"Of course he will," Naruto smiled, laying the papers down. "He's improved so much, I'm starting to think he's as strong as Sasuke-teme, maybe better."

"Really? Why do you think so?"

"Well, Sousuke's got something that Sasuke did't have at this age."

"And what is that?" Hinata asked softly.

Before Naruto could finish, he heard the front door click open, followed by a few footsteps. He smiled as he withdrew his glasses from his face.

"Hinata-chan, I think we have a visitor."

Hinata's white eyes trailed to the newcomers, a blond teenage girl followed by a tiny dark-haired boy. Nanako, looking like a mess, closed the door quietly behind her, hoping to not wake up anybody. But as she turned around, she saw both her parents, sitting at the breakfast table, still wide awake. She raised an eyebrow.

"Eh? Shouldn't you guys be asleep?" Nanako asked, dropping her bags on the table.

"How can I go to sleep knowing my little princess is up all night, tiring herself to death?" Naruto scowled like a little child.

Nanako giggled. "Demo, otouchan, I'm a medic-nin first before being Konoha's princess!"

"BUT I'M YOUR FATHER FIRST BEFORE YOUR HOKAGE! AAHHH YOU'RE SO GROWN UP NOW! HINATA-CHAN WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?" Naruto cried, bursting into fake tears, causing both Nanako and Kenji to laugh. Hinata smiled weakly, only patting her husband on the back.

"So Sousuke's alright now?" Hinata asked softly.

Kenji nodded. "Yep! He's asleep now. Oh, can I stay here? I'm getting sleepy and I don't like staying at the hospital overnight."

"Not a problem," Hinata replied. "But don't you want to be with your family?"

"Yeah, but, oneechan and I saw okaachan crying and otouchan hugging her, so she said to leave them alone," Kenji explained solemnly. At this, both Naruto and Hinata exchanged strange looks. Realizing the change in mood, Nanako quickly spoke up.

"Okay! Kenji-chan, let's get you settled! You can sleep in my bed and I'll find an extra mattress for me!"

"Yay! Sleepover with Nanako-oneechan!" Kenji cheered happily, as if the incident with Sousuke never occured. Nanako squealed, hugging Kenji tightly like a stuffed animal.

"Mou, you're so cute! I'm so jealous of Kimi-chan! Ne, otouchan, why can't I have a little brother?" Nanako pouted towards her parents.

"YEAH HINATA-CHAN, WHY DOESN'T OUR DEAREST NANAKO HAVE A LITTLE BROTHER? I MEAN, TEME AND SAKURA-CHAN DO IT ALMOST EVERY WEEK SO WHY DON'T WE?" Naruto wailed childishly, causing Hinata to blush madly.

"W-W-Well, u-u-um, i-i-it's not l-l-like we h-h-haven't t-t-tried-"

"Okaachan, I want a little brother for my birthday!" Nanako exclaimed with a devious tone.

"I-I d-d-dunno, I m-mean, I'll l-l-love another c-child b-but I'm s-so o-old-"

"ONE CAN NEVER BE TOO OLD FOR MAKING LOVE, MY LOVELY HINATA-CHAN!" Naruto declared, hugging his wife from behind, causing a squeak out of her. "COME ON, COME ON, LET'S MAKE OUR DAUGHTER HAPPY AND GIVE HER UZUMAKI NARUTO, JR!"

"Ah, N-N-N-Naruto-k-k-kun! N-N-Not w-w-with the k-k-kids a-a-around!"

"Can he be my little brother too?" Kenji asked excitedly, jumping up and down. "I wanna be a big brother to him cause I don't like being the youngest! I asked otouchan for a little brother too for my birthday and he said he was working on it, but I haven't seen one yet! And I could teach him these cool tricks like oniichan taught me and and-"

"IT'S DECIDED! WE'RE MAKING A BABY TONIGHT!" Naruto exclaimed, followed by the victorious cheers of Nanako and Kenji.

"Ne, Naruto-ojichan, how do you make a baby?" Kenji quipped innocently.

Naruto chuckled darkly. "_Well_, Kenji..."

"L-L-Let's get y-y-you r-r-ready f-for b-bed, d-d-don't you t-think so K-K-Kenji?" Hinata interrupted nervously, blushing madly as she grabbed Kenji's tiny hand and led him to Nanako's room.

Naruto slumped back in his chair in defeat, pouting like a child again.

"Awww and I wanted a boy this time," Naruto moaned, earning another giggle from his daughter.

"Don't worry, otouchan, you need to sleep tonight," Nanako advised. "It's not good for the Hokage's health to stay up late for work."

"Hai, hai, but I'm not going to bed unless my girls are asleep first," Nanako grinned. Nanako smiled and kissed her father on the cheek.

"Goodnight, otouchan," Nanako said as she walked down the hallway. She entered her room, watching as Kenji bounced onto her giant pink bed. She smiled at the sight of Kenji, who looked excited like her Uncle Sasuke, lay like a snow angel on her bed.

"Ah, Nanako-oneechan's bed is soft and big and really, really pink!" Kenji commented.

"I'm glad you like it," Nanako replied as she pulled up an extra mattress from under her breath. She laid it flat on the ground and took out some comforters and pillows from her closet. She pulled out her hairbands, letting her long, golden hair fall loose against her back. Nanako then tucked herself in her self-made bed, a relaxed sigh escaping from her lips.

"Ano, Nanako-oneechan?"

"Hai, Kenji?" Nanako glanced up. She nearly giggled a the sight of little Kenji, clutching his bunny toy with one hand, and her pink blankets with his other hand.

"Thank you for helping oniichan."

Nanako only smiled. "You're welcome. I know he's very important to you and Kimi-chan, so I did my best."

Kenji nodded shakily. "Um, I-I was scared oniichan wasn't going to make it a-and..."

"And what?" Nanako blinked.

Kenji ducked even lower under the pink blanket, blushing in embarassment. "W-W-When I-I g-get nightmares, oniichan would l-let me sleep in his bed because h-he didn't want me to d-disturb okaachan and otouchan. Then he'll tell jokes so I'll fall asleep."

Nanako stared at him sincerely. "He's a very good brother, isn't he?"

"Nanako-nee? W-What if I get a nightmare tonight? Oniichan and oneechan aren't here with me now," Kenji asked in a strained voice, almost as if he was crying.

"Someday you'll be able to sleep through nightmares without them, Kenji-chan," Nanako said softly. "You'll grow out of it and be strong like your brother. If you ever get scared, I'm right here. That's what big sisters are for, right?"

Kenji's eyes widened in delight, breaking into a huge smile. "Yep! Thanks a lot, Nanako-onee!"

Nanako laughed. She glanced behind her, noticing that her mother was at the doorway. Hinata smiled at both children sweetly.

"Getting comfy here yet?" She asked Kenji, who nodded in return.

"Yep! But I can't go to bed, but I'm tired!" Kenji pouted.

Suddenly, Nanako's face lit up. "Ne, ne, okaachan, you know stories about Sakura-bachan and Sasu-jichan right? Tell us one about them! I want a bedtime story!"

"Me too! Me too! Tsunade-obaachan already told me one but I want another! Please, please, please, please?" Kenji pleaded.

"Do I have a choice in the matter?" Hinata let out a defeated sigh. "Hm, a story with Sasuke-san and Sakura..."

* * *

><p>As much as your parents love each other, Kenji, they are prone to disputes, no matter how small or big.<p>

Your father had come home from a dangerous mission that maimed him greatly, forcing him to stay in the hospital for two weeks. Sometime the day after he came home and healed up, he and your mother had a huge argument in his hospital room. I was volunteering at the hospital for that small period for I had no planned missions and needed something to do when I overheard their fight. I had no idea what they were arguing about, why they were fighting, or what had initiated it. I've seen them angry at each other before, but not to the point where I thought they would both explode.

And I knew it was no ordinary bickering when I saw Sakura storm out of Sasuke's hospital room, reading to erupt like a volcano.

The next day, your mother had asked me to deliver Sasuke's daily dose of medicine to speed up his recovery, so I obliged. She still looked annoyed at Sasuke, so I didn't press on. I was hoping that the tension had at least died down a bit but when I entered his room, I knew it hadn't.

He was stuck on his bed, laying grumpily as he glared at me hand him the medicine. When I told him he needed to take it, he scoffed. When I told him that it was on Sakura's orders, he looked like he was going to murder me. When I told him that Sakura would be mad if he didn't, your father went to a new high.

"Well tell her it's her own damn fault for being too emotional!" He had screamed at me.

I nearly tripped on my own two feet. I rarely saw him yell so close to me and being extremely shy and fidgety back then, I could only leave the room, hoping he wasn't going to hunt me down and rip my body in pieces.

I came back to Sakura's office, telling her how Sasuke refused to take his medicine and the rude things he said about her. At that moment, Sakura slammed all the paperwork on her desk and stomped angrily as she grabbed a handful of pills before throwing them at me.

"Well tell _him_ that he's an inconsiderate jerk who needs to take his stupid medicine if he wants to throw himself around the battlefield or else I'll-!" I'm not going to finish it.

Once again, I ran back to Sasuke's room, handing him the new medicine that was much stronger for him to endure and Sakura's threat. He threw the pills back at my face, his face furious.

"Tell Sakura that she's being insane and it's pointless to keep me here!"

Off to Sakura's again. I do the same thing: tell her what happened and what Sasuke had said. She punches the wall, causing basically a crater within.

"Tell Sasuke-kun that if I'm insane, then he's a maniacal toerag who shouldn't come running to me if he gets hurt again!"

And it happened like that the whole entire day. I assumed that they were just feeling the after effects of a bad fight, that they would resolve this by tomorrow. Today, they could argue and be mad for all they want. Tomorrorow, they'll surely make up. Love is never perfect, I told myself.

But they didn't make up the next day. Or the day after. Or by the end of the week. It was miserable, going back and forth between your parents. You'll think they should just go up and face each other, yelling all they want. But they didn't, because Sasuke still had a cast on his leg and needed to recover. So being weak little me, I somehow ended up transferring all their "messages" to each other during that whole week. And I couldn't even fight back.

It usually went like this, back and forth, on and on and on.

"Tell Sakura that I don't need her babysitting me!"

"Tell Sasuke that he should man up if he doesn't want to be treated like a snotty baby!"

"Tell her that she's being a stubborn idiot!"

"Tell him that I don't speak jackass!'

"Tell her that she should stop meddling in my business!"

"Tell him that he's a big fat hypocrite!"

"Tell her that medicine for my broken leg is stupid!"

"Tell him that if my medicine is so stupid, then he could go on a revenge adventure again for all I care!"

"Tell her that I would purposely find a new revenge just to spite her!"

"Tell him that he can find another chick to revive his pathetic clan!"

"TELL HER THAT SHE'S BEING ANNOYING!"

"TELL HIM THAT HE'S AN ARROGANT JERK!"

I was starting to get dizzy from it. My legs were wobbly from constantly running back and forth to relay their message. I'm not sure why I decided to not mention them at all; it would have done more good than bad. I might as well have been a pigeon delivering their messages in scrolls, like I was never there in the first place. I still hadn't managed to force-feed Sasuke the medicine and Sakura never blamed me because she was too angry at his attitude. I remember thinking what could they possibly argue about that they refused to see each other face-to-face?

I was so scared that they would break up; that was truly my biggest fear at the time. They shouldn't have to break up over a stupid fight like this. They shouldn't. I know what would happen, even if they denied it. Sakura would feign smiling almost everyday and cry silently at night, wanting to be with Sasuke but refusing to let her heart get broken again. Sasuke would do everything in his power to ignore her, be extremely pissed at everything, probably beat up a few people, and have a guilt trip on wanting her back to apologize yet at the same time not wanting to be with her using the excuse that it would make her happy. And eventually, they would live unhappily ever after for the rest of their lives.

I did not want that to happen. If it did, it would be a miserable dramafest that would somehow involve all our friends when we didn't want to.

And on the last day, as Sasuke was about to tell me another taunt to relay to Sakura, I couldn't stand it anymore. Instead, I had yelled at him to just tell whatever he wants to her himself when she was ready to face him. That the both of them were acting extremely immature. And that they either apologize to each other or break up for good.

At first, I felt good letting it all out, but then I started to fear for how your father would react. I was worried he would want to murder me. Instead, his eyes just widened in pure shock, probably because he's never heard me speak, let alone yell, before. Before any of us could say another word, I left the room immediately.

I avoided both your parents during my volunteer period at the hospital after my little snap moment. They didn't sought me either to give messages, and I wasn't sure if they found substitutes or not. I did pass by Sasuke's room a few times, noticing that his face was not as angry as usual; in fact, there was a hint of regret in his eyes. And when I passed Sakura's office, she would often appear distracted, watching outside the window, thinking about an off-topic.

On another day, I saw your mother standing in front of your father's hospital room, hesitant to enter. Then, she let out a heavy sigh and twisted the doorknob open. I remember hearing her voice speak first, followed by your father's. I didn't know what their conversation was about, nor did I ever figure out why they fought in the first place. Only one thing was important at the time:

They loved each other enough to make up with one another.

So in the end, love is not determined by how many fights you get into it. It's not about how perfect and stable your relationship is. Nor is it just trying your best to make them unhappy. It's about how you survive those tough spots and get through it. It's knowing that no matter what you disagree on, you'll manage to look over it. It's about coming out stronger after enduring those moments of weakness. Because you don't want to destroy the everlasting relationship with a temporary fight.

And from the laughter and smiles I've seen your mother and father exchange throughout the lives, from then to now, I can tell that they know it too. Why else would he propose to her barely a month after?

* * *

><p>"So you see, Kenji, even when your parents on the best of terms," Hinata finished.<p>

"Ahh, that's so cute!" Nanako commented. "Mou, I wish I knew how he proposed!"

"You should ask him," Hinata suggested. "No one was there except for him and Sakura."

"But he's so stubborn! And Sakura-baachan won't either!" Nanako complained.

"Ah, I wanna know too!" Kenji joined.

Hinata smiled softly at them, kissing both of them on their heads. "In time. Tonight, you two need rest. You need to visit your big brother tomorrow, don't you Kenji?"

"Ah, you're right! Okay, goodnight Hinata-baachan! Goodnight Nanako-nee!" Kenji pipped before landing back onto his pillow, his eyes closing immediately.

Hinata glanced back to her daughter, who also had quickly fell asleep. Both must have been exhausted from such a long time. They needed a lot of sleep this time. Hinata tip-toed quietly out of Nanako's room, turning off the lights on the way. She returned back to her room, her face delighted to see Naruto already in bed, but then frowned when she realized he still wore his reading glasses, papers in his hand. Naruto looked up, raising an eyebrow.

"Hey, I was waiting for you to come back!" Naruto defended himself.

Hinata sighed as she crawled into bed next to her husband. She gently took away his papers, pulled off his glasses, and laid them on the coffee table to her side of the bed. A small giggle escaped from her lips.

"What's so funny?"

"You complain so much about paperwork, yet you can't stop doing them. Get some sleep, Naruto-kun."

"Fine, you win," Naruto sighed as he slumped back onto the pillow, wrapping an arm around Hinata's waist. She snuggled closer to him, her head on his chest.

"Naruto-kun?"

"Yes, Hinata-chan?"

"About Sousuke earlier...what did you say that made him stronger than Sasuke-san?"

Slowly, Naruto's lips curved into a small smile.

"The will to live."

Hinata raised her head slightly, so that her chin rested on his chest. She blinked in confusion. Chuckling, Naruto continued.

"If you compare them both on strength alone, then those two are equal. But if they were enemies that had to kill, Sousuke would win. He has this incredible will to live that Sasuke can never have. Sure, Sasuke had only Sakura back then, but he wasn't living for her; he was _surviving_ for her. He would have been ready to throw his life away for Sakura-chan anytime, no matter what it cost him. He didn't take to account that any possible sacrifice on his part could break her heart like no other.

"But Sousuke...he's not like that. He doesn't believe that protecting the ones you love mean sacrificing yourself. He doesn't take the bullshit that the dead are always with us. He believes that if you really want to be there for someone, you had to be alive. 'If you want somebody to be happy, then you make them happy,' he always says. He's confident that he's powerful enough to not only protect his friends and family, but to live for their sakes. Can it come off as cockiness? Yes, because it's a natural part of being an Uchiha. But in the end, no matter how similar he is to Sasuke, that's the one thing that makes him Uchiha Sousuke and not Uchiha Sasuke.

"And it's that belief of his that makes him stronger. That's the only reason why he's stronger than his father, even under his training. Kimiko will never surpass her father because she thinks the same way as him, but Sousuke doesn't. He pushes himself everyday to be stronger so that he'll never have to die in vain. He wants to be strong so that we'll never have to worry about him or cry over the possibility that he died in battle. He's so mature for his age, he understands very well how people would because he knows he'll probably react the same way too.

"That's why I have this weird feeling that when I retire and leave my duties to the younger generation..." Naruto paused for a moment before leaning to Hinata. "...Sousuke will be my top choice."

Hinata bit her lips. "B-But, will he want it?"

Smiling, Naruto shook his head. "No...because that's not Sousuke."

* * *

><p>Sitting alone on the hospital's rooftop, Uchiha Kimiko stared at the full moon tonight, noticing how breathtaking it was.<p>

She really had no other place to be at the moment, let alone with anybody really. Though recovering, Sousuke was still unconscious and stayed in the hospital. Kenji had probably fell asleep since, after going through so much, he would be exhausted. She rather not disturb anybody this late so it was only natural for her to wait at the hospital, still wide awake. Plus, her parents were probably still in Sousuke's room, holding each other tight. Her father was comforting her mother, who cried silently into his chest.

The scene had confounded her greatly.

_I've never seen okaasan so worried and sad...nor otousan so...caring..._Kimiko contemplated on the thought.

It was such a rare sight, her mother and father holding each other tenderly. Usually, she would never see such a soft side from both of them; they were always so extreme with everything. They either just conversed about their day and chores or lock the door to have their bedroom fun, much to her and her siblings' dismay. Sure, Kimiko was always well aware that her parents loved each other dearly; it was just hard for her to see them express it in any romantic ways. How could any woman last long with such an unromantic man like her father? The man was either dead serious or extremely horny, no fencing in the middle.

The breeze picked up, a chill running through her bodies. She shivered, rubbing both arms together. She brought her knees against her chest, using them as a platform for her chin to rest.

"This is why you should stop wearing revealing clothes," A deep voice spoke.

Kimiko glanced, displeased with the sight. Standing next to her was her father, arms crossed, looking proud as he ever was. His eyes were emotionless, allowing no one to read them. Kimiko glared.

"I'm 16; I can wear what I want whenever I want," Kimiko retorted, goosebumps growing around her arms.

Sasuke sighed. He pulled off his white jacket and draped it around his daughter's slim body. She tugged on it reluctantly, blushing slightly in embarrassment. His jacket really was warm and no matter how much she denied it, she rather have it on. She looked away, not wanting to reveal her defeated face.

"Thanks," she muttered under her breath.

"Hn."

"How come you're not with okaasan?"

"She went to check up on Kenji."

She looked up slightly behind her bangs, noticing that her father had taken a seat next to her, watching the night sky as well. There was something that appeared different about her father when he wasn't wear the white jacket. With it on, he looked powerful and fearless, unmatched by nobody but the Hokage. However, without it, something about the absence made him looked ordinary, not so high, and more like a parent.

"Ano, otousan? Niisan's fine now, right?" She asked, fidgetting. "I-I'm sorry if I made it more complicated. I-I'll try to work harder on my genjutsu a-and-"

"Stop doubting yourself," Sasuke interrupted harshly. "You're the reason he's alive."

A small smile broke from Kimiko's face. Sasuke noticed this, his eyes narrowing.

"Why?"

"Eh?" Kimiko looked up, confused at her father's words.

"Why did you listen to me and stay back?" Sasuke cleared up, his voice remaining nonchalant. "You're too stubborn to stay put, even if it's for Kenji."

Kimiko shrugged, chuckling slightly. "You only say my name when it's a serious matter."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. Kimiko sighed; now it was her turn to explain.

"I mean, I'm so used to you taunting me with 'booger girl' or 'snotface' or whatever stupid names you have for me so when you pull out the names...I know you're not joking anymore."

Sasuke nodded in response, closing his eyes.

"The reason I call you all those names..."

Kimiko's eyes widened in curiosity. Maybe he wasn't as hard as he appeared to be. Maybe he was only tough out of...

"...is because I really hate you kids."

BAM!

Kimiko punched hard, really hard, at her father's head, a bruise growing slowly. She had stood up, her hand still curled up in a tight fist as she gave him a death glare. Sasuke had no reaction, barely moving an inch from her punch. He questioned why he even allowed his wife to train this girl; Kimiko had too much raw strength. Then again, his daughter really was nothing compared to his wife; he had all the training in the world for this.

"I THOUGHT WE WERE HAVING A TOUCHING FATHER-DAUGHTER MOMENT RIGHT UP UNTIL THEN, OLD MAN!" Kimiko screeched. "THIS IS ALMOST AS WORSE AS YOU INCAPABLE OF BEING ROMANTIC WITH OKAASAN!"

"Hn," he appeared unaffected by the attack.

"MOU!" Kimiko cried in an exasperated tone as she sat back down. "You are so hopeless! How does she deal with you?"

"Leave my anniversary alone. It doesn't even involve you kids," Sasuke replied as his mouth slowly curved into a smirk. "Nor clothes."

"GAH! I can't believe people say you were so clueless back in the day with this perverted mind," Kimiko gritted through her teeth. "Did you not have at least _one_ moment of romance with her? Like dinner dates, going into the city for the night, or-"

"No, that's stupid and expensive."

"YOU DIDN'T EVEN TAKE HER OUT TO DINNER EVEN** ONCE**? ARE YOU MENTAL? AND WEREN'T YOU RICH TOO? CHEAP BASTARD!"

"I had better plans."

"Like what? Watch the pretty stars from the night sky?" Kimiko scowled sarcastically.

"Yes."

Kimiko nearly choked. She shook her head back and forth, wanting to make sure that her father's words were true. "What?"

Sasuke nodded, affirming her surprise. His dark orbs went back the sky, his bangs hiding them from his daughter's view.

"That dobe told me to take her out to dinner and other stupid stuff for our first dates, but I hate being around people. So I would take your mother out on a night like this, and just watch the stars with her. We didn't talk much, but I really enjoy being next to your mother."

"Otousan..." Kimiko whispered, surprised by her father's story. There it was: evidence that her father, Uchiha Sasuke, actually had a heart. That his feelings for her mother were not only so true, but a source of happiness for both sides. But of course...

"That is **so** cheesy."

"You only say that because you're going to be forever alone."

Another bruise was created on Uchiha Sasuke's head. This really had been a long night for the Uchiha family.

* * *

><p>Okay, COMMENTARY TIME!<p>

Well, I actually had a different SasuSaku story in mind for Hinata in order to properly fit the mood. It was supposed to be about what happened to Sakura's parents but then I scratched it out because I thought we needed a lighter story just to cheer people up. I found it amusing to have Hinata as their little messenger, like a "he said, she said" situation. I mean, she's so passive that I couldn't help but torture her in that situation. I wish I could expand on it more, but then it'll lose it's meaning. I rather keep it short and sweet than long and boring.

For the present plot, I decided to skip the rescue scene since, well, Sousuke already beat the dude up. In time, you guys shall find out who it is. I had that moment with Kimiko to help her brother to show how much she really cares about her brother, yet is too afraid to use her strength. She's confident, but there's a sense of insecurity within her that prevented her from showing her true potential. I also wanted to highlight her strength as well since we've all seen how BAMF I made Sousuke. It's only a sneak peek; more action from Kimiko shall come later.

Also, I included another father-daughter moment to make up for their little argument a few chapters ago. It's complicated, but not as crazy as the one between Sasuke and Sousuke. You can tell it's more on the jokester side in this case. I really wanted to show how similar Kimiko is to Sasuke more than you expect, which I surprised me as well.

Not much commentary for this chapter since I'm really tired from homework and need to start studying.

For the next character to tell a story, I have no exact plan. The good thing is, I have another way to make it happen:

YOU DECIDE!

Yes, you guys can decide who gets to tell the story next. It could be any of the major characters, even the ones that have gone already. However, the only people that I won't do is Sasuke and Sakura, because they get their special stories later. Now how am I going to decide who's favorite character gets to tell the story?

Two things: You need to tell me what is it about this story you love about it and what I could do to improve it. I'm not doing this out a vanity; I just want to a mini-survey of why this particular story has more success than my previous story. By reviewing what it is you like about this story, you are helping me improve my storytelling abilities to make even better stories in the future. I'm not trying to be a professional author when I grow up, but it's for my personal benefit as I enjoy writing as a fun hobby that I dedicate lots of time to, whether it's through school or fanfiction.

The last thing you need to do is include the character you'll like. Simple as that! You don't need to write an essay on it, just short sentences are fine.

Once again, thanks for all the reviews and encouragement! I would love to update another chapter soon, but please know that I value education above fanfiction, so I cannot force myself to write or else it won't come as great as I want to.

For those who just started the school year, enjoy and don't procrastinate! Don't join too many clubs; dedicate to just a few. Don't be afraid to say "hi" to somebody who looks lonely, because they could be your best friend. Don't stress yourself out; just breathe.

For those who aren't: I HATE YOU

Jk, but still...

Oh shit, 10,000 words in this chapter alone. That's the longest I've ever written o.0


	12. Annoying

Chapter 11: Annoying

I'M BAAACCCCKKKK!

So for this chapter, I decided to go with **dorkykorean's** suggestion, because I really liked the feedback you gave me. It made sense to include Shikana more in this chapter if I wanted her to be the perfect match for Sousuke, so I took your advice! Thank you very much! Plus, I also took your suggestion on making on how his day got annoyed too ;)

Yeah, starting to settle into senior year. Homecoming's a real bitch honestly. It's not that exciting, more stressful than fun. Also, if you're Yugioh fans, I made a vaseshipping fic called "The Right to be Jealous" out of the pure outrage that there wasn't enough for that pairing LOL. If you guys want to, please check it out and let me know how you feel about that! Enough of my blabbering, you guys know the drill. It's senior year, I won't update that much, so please be patient with me!

For those wondering why I haven't updated Stubborn, it's because I'm really having a hard time deciding what direction to take it. I had something originally planned, but I ended up disliking it so now I'm basically back to scratch. Stubborn is a lot harder for me to write because it's a serious drama that needs careful planning if I want to end it the way I do. That's why I'm taking my time with it. I still want to finish it though.

STORY TIME!

* * *

><p>To everybody's relief and surprise, Sousuke regained conscious just as the sun came up. He had opened his eyes, wondering where he was, only for him to be hugged to death by none other than his own mother. She had cried another gallon of tears while his father had stood against the wall with an unreadable expression as he watched his wife and son embrace each other. Sousuke had comforted his mother, patting her several times in the back and reassuring her that he no longer felt any pain; just exhausted.<p>

He had asked where his siblings were, only for his mother to reply that they were still asleep and would visit him later. As soon as Sousuke turned to face his father, Sasuke had disappeared from the room. Aside from a broken wrist, he would make a full recovery, enough to walk out of the hospital by the afternoon, according to Tsunade.

Unfortunately, Tsunade was not the head doctor of Konoha's hospital.

"Okaasan, I'm serious, everything's fine. I can stand up now," Sousuke tried to convince his mother weakly as she rewrapped his wounds for probably the 20th time.

"No, you are going to stay here until tomorrow where I can keep a close eye on you," Sakura shot back sharply, tightening the bandages.

"But I'm fine," Sousuke tried again, his head backing down from his mother's tone. "Y-you have other patients to attend to..."

"Other doctors can care for them!" Sakura argued, inspecting another wound. "You're my priority! Just look at these wounds! Imagine all the blood loss that could have happened _before_ we found you!"

"Okaasan, I've been through worse. I-If I could just wait for my chakra to come back, I can heal them myself-"

"No! You wasted enough chakra! And I can't believe you used chidori with such a low amount! That sucks out too much of your energy, especially with your sharingan! It would have been a lot easier for you to just summon your eagles and fly away! You didn't have to be so reckless, Sousuke! Boys these days!"

And his mother went on and on about how he should have just run when he had the chance. And Sousuke just stared at her, noticing the dark bags under her eyes that were rarely there, even though she often worked late shifts at the hospital. Her forehead showed more lines than he last saw her. And even though she was grumbling about how he should be more careful and stop taking missions for the next month, Sousuke could only stare at how tired her green eyes were.

He smiled at his mother. "Sorry, Okaasan. I didn't mean to worry you."

Sakura paused for a moment to stare back at her son, gasping at his sudden smile. Her eyes widened before looking down, as if in deep thought. Sousuke blinked.

"What's the matter?"

Sakura shook her head, smiling nervously. "It's nothing Sousuke. I just..." She stopped, immediately returning to tending his wounds. Had she expected him to act differently? This was his own mother; she knew very well how he would react to her lectures. Why would she think anything changed?

"You're so grown up now," Sakura spoke softly. "One day, you'll leave the house, have your own family, and I won't be able to have these moments with you again."

"But Kenji will be around, even when I do start one," Sousuke replied, smiling in return. "and I'm sure my future kids would love to have their grandmother as a doctor."

Sakura laughed gently. "True, but...you'll always be our first, Sousuke, and that's already something."

Suddenly, the door burst open. Before Sousuke could figure out who the newcomer was, he found his neck strangled to death in a death grip.

"NIISAN YOU BAKA! I HATE YOU SO MUCH!" Kimiko screeched loudly, shaking her brother's head back and forth. "BECAUSE OF YOU, I LOST MY PRECIOUS SLEEP! AND YOU PISSED ME OFF SO MUCH! DON'T YOU DARE DO SOMETHING STUPID LIKE THAT AGAIN! BAKA BAKA BAKA BAKA!"

"K-K-K-Kimi, i-i-i-it h-h-hurts-"

"Ah, oniichan is okay now!" Kenji cried as he jumped on his brother's bed, hugging him by the neck tightly. "I didn't want to lose my big brother! You made me scared!"

"YOU LITTLE MONSTER! BECAUSE OF YOU, OTOUSAN FORCED ME TO DO THIS SUPER HARD GENJUTSU THAT I NEVER KNEW! DON'T YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I SUCK AT GENJUTSU? IF YOU MAKE ME DO THAT AGAIN, I'M GOING TO CHIDORI YOUR ASS OVER AND OVER AND OVER-"

"Oniichan, why are you still in bed? What's wrong with your hand? OH MY GOD, ARE YOU GOING TO DIE? DON'T DIE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE! I PROMISE TO BE A GOOD LITTLE BROTHER! I WON'T GO TO YOUR ROOM FOR NIGHTMARES AGAIN! OR ASK YOU FOR ICE CREAM! OR-"

"Y-Y-you two, p-p-please," Sousuke choked out, growing dizzy from his sister shaking his head back and forth.

"Hey, let go of Sousuke, you two!" Sakura ordered, laughing at their antics. "Or else his stay will be longer!"

Kimiko and Kenji both mumbled out apologies to their brother. Kenji plopped right in front of him while Kimiko sat on the side, arms crossed.

"Hey, I thought you're supposed to be strong, niisan! What the hell is this?" Kimiko spat out, pointing to his bandaged wrist.

"You can't really blame me; I was nearly out of chakra when everybody found me."

"Then you shouldn't have gotten captured in the first place! Mou, don't you know all the trouble you caused?" Kimiko pouted, before her eyes darted back to their mother. "Nah, okaasan, where's otousan anyway?"

"He's heading an ANBU meeting at the moment," Sakura replied. "He'll be finished in the afternoon."

"Hey, did he really ask the Hokage to increase the guards?" Sousuke asked. "Choji-sensei told me about it earlier."

"Yeah, 'tousan told Kakashi-jiji about it too," Kimiko added on. "He said that Sound's up to something."

"Is Sound going to attack us?" Kenji gasped in horror, clutching Pochi tightly to his body.

"Look, don't worry about foreign affairs; that's your father's and Naruto's job," Sakura sighed. "Right now, Sousuke: you need rest. Kimiko, Kenji: we need to give him that rest time."

"Hai," answered the two youngest. They both got off the bed, walking to the door. Before they turned, Kenji whipped his head around to face his brother.

"Ne, oniichan, when you get better, can you train with me?" Kenji quipped. "I wanna get strong too!"

"Of course," Sousuke chuckled as he laid back down to his bed, arms behind his head. "But today, I'm going to rest."

A wide smile quickly found its way to Kenji's face. Kimiko's hand paused at the doorknob, noticing something strange on the window. It was a vase of roses sitting on the window sill. They were beautiful and still fresh, as if just brought this morning. Kimiko grinned at her brother slyly.

"Heh, did Shikana-senpai come here earlier, lover boy?" Kimiko edged him on.

Sousuke blushed slightly, but washed it away within a second. He scratched the back of his head nervously, a weak smile coming to his face.

"Um, actually, Masaki-san brought those for me," Sousuke admitted, sinking under the covers even more. He could feel his sister's glare stabbing into his skin. "Erm, well, d-don't take it the wrong way, Kimi, I-I mean..."

He gave up when he heard the doorknob smash into pieces.

* * *

><p>"AMI YOU LITTLE BITCH!"<p>

A brunette sighed from the table she sat at, sipping the last of her lemon tea. She whipped her hair back, smirking at the sight of the angry Uchiha heiress marching in her direction.

"Oh my god, Kimiko it's been _so_ long!" Masaki Ami squealed in a nasally voice.

Kimiko stopped right in front of her, flicking the tea cup right out of Ami's hands. Gasping, Ami glared at her, standing up from her seat in return.

"Hey, what the hell was that for?" Ami shouted.

"How dare you flirt with my own brother, ya sneaky lil fox!" Kimiko snarled, hands on her hips. "You already have a boyfriend!"

"Correction: I _had_ a boyfriend."

"Should I be surprised he dumped you after only two weeks?" Kimiko smirked victoriously, only angering Ami even more.

"No, I left him; I realized that when I could have lost Sousuke-kun forever, I just had to go back to him. My feelings for him will never change and in time, I know he'll return them," Ami sighed dreamily.

"Cut the bullshit, Ami! Leave him alone! Everybody knows he and Shikana are bound for each other!"

"What's this? Are you scared that I might actually take your dear brother away from you?" Ami taunted darkly. "Scared that I'm going to join your precious little family?"

"I'm sorry, Ami, but Uchihas don't allow bitches in the family," Kimiko shot back smartly.

"I'm sure I'll be a blessing compared to you," Ami stated haughtily.

"Now you're just asking up for a beat up!" Kimiko threatened furiously, crackling her knuckles.

"I would like to see the pathetic daughter of the Uchiha clan try," Ami cackled.

"OH YOU'LL SEE ALRIGHT-" Kimiko stopped when she felt a rough hand tug on her shirt collar, pulling her back slightly. Kimiko glanced up angrily at the masked old man holding a tiny pink book in his other hand.

"Ninja battles should only take place during training grounds, not outside a beautiful cafe, Kimi-chan," Kakashi noted coolly.

"CAN'T YOU SEE I'M BUSY HERE, KAKASHI-JIJI?"

"Ah, Kakashi-sama, thank you so much for saving me!" Ami cried out, feigning tears falling from her eyes. "I was only just drinking my tea when-"

"Hai, Hai, Masaki-san. Run along now," Kakashi instructed playfully. "I shall deal with this one alone."

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" Kimiko was beyond enraged.

Ami sent her a snarky smile. She turned around, nose up high, walking away from the two. Kimiko gritted her teeth, glaring at her to no end. It was only when Ami disappeared from their sight that Kakashi released Kimiko, which she immediately recovered. Too strongly.

"Oi, Kakashi-ojisan, what the hell was that for?"

"You shouldn't waste your time on small fry," Kakashi explained, flipping through his book. "You and I know that you could flick a finger to her face and she'll be sent to the hospital."

"So? I want to strangle her!" Kimiko complained. "Just because she did better than me in kunoichi classes back then, she thinks she's all that! Why, I could tie her skinny arms around herself, pop those fake boobs and see how pretty she'll be without her slut makeup..."

Kakashi had a sweatdrop on his forehead. _No wonder Sousuke's the calm one,_ he though mentally. _This girl stole both her parents' temper_. It made _so_ much sense how these kids turned out.

"Either way, don't let girls like her get to you. Aren't Uchihas too high to deal with her kind?" he advised, winking at her.

Kimiko smiled, feeling a lot better. "Yeah, but I would love to crush her little neck someday."

* * *

><p><em>The screams returned.<em>

_Shackled hands fought for freedom weakly._

_A rough hand pulled back dark, black hair, nearly ripping it apart from the child's head._

_Another scream. Followed by the scent of blood._

_The blood red eyes of a Sharingan on a mere child._

Sousuke's eyes shot wide open, sitting up abruptly. He breathed heavily, shocked by the foggy scene that just played in his mind. A thick book laid on his lap, opened midway. He remembered reading it for a while until he fell asleep. He picked it up, realizing that he could definitely see the chakra flow through his fingers.

"Damnit, this has to go to stop," Sousuke cursed to himself. Why did the sharingan force itself to activate lately? It couldn't have been from the attack yesterday; this had been happen some days before. Immediately, his eyes returned to normal as he calmed himself.

There was a knock on Sousuke's hospital room door. He saw the (currently damaged, courtesy of his little sister) doorknob untwist itself, a figure appearing into the room. Before he could see his visitor, a scent of jasmine filled his mind, and he felt his cheeks heat up slightly. He recognized that scent from anywhere. Even the person who always held it.

Standing meekly at the doorway was Shikana, a bento box in one hand and a small smile on her face.

"Sousuke-kun, konichiwa," she greeted warmly. "Ano, i-is it okay if I come?"

"N-N-No, no, absolutely not!" Sousuke responded rapidly. "Um, come in!"

Shikana only smiled, taking a seat on his bedside. This was definitely strange. It had been ages since he had an actual conversation with his former teammate. Ever since that incident with Snow Country. Sousuke bit his lips, his eyes returning back to his book, hoping that Shikana did not catch the blush quickly spreading to his cheeks.

"I heard everything from Koji. Are you doing alright? He said you lost a lot of blood." She sounded as normal as she ever was, like nothing ever changed between them. But it was hard for Sousuke to accept that.

Sousuke nodded. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine! I mean, I'm still alive, right?" No, too soon. He was trying to make it a light subject but he couldn't ignore the worried look on Shikana's face. He was about to mutter a small apology when Shikana spoke up, lifting up the bento box.

"Um, I know you don't like hospital food that much, so," Shikana unwrapped the box slowly and carefully, revealing a few rice balls, tempura, and Sousuke's favorite, salmon sashimi. "I thought you would like some real food."

Sousuke's face brightened immediately. "It smells really good. Thanks, Shikana."

"Iie, it's not a problem," Shikana replied modestly. She prepared a small fold-up table over Sousuke's lap, placing the bento lunch on top. She handed a pair of chopsticks to Sousuke, who took it carefully, hiding his attempt to not touch her. If Shikana wasn't sitting next to him, he would have wolfed down this meal within seconds. But because she was, he would be polite about it.

"Itadakimasu," he said softly, his chopstick pinching onto a small piece of salmon sashimi. He bit into it slowly, intaking its taste. He swallowed it silently, a small smile sneaking to his face.

"Your cooking's gotten a lot better, Shikana."

"W-What?" Shikana stammered. "H-How did you-I, well-"

"I can always tell when it's your cooking because I like it most," Sousuke laughed lightly, biting into another piece, ignoring how warm his face felt.

Shikana's face turned red. She turned away from her, her interest now caught at the book to the side. _Human Anatomy_, the title was. The book was rather thick, at least 500 pages. She scanned through the book, eyebrows furrowing at the complex language and pictures. He noticed this, chuckling at the tiniest hint of annoyance on her face.

"Don't worry; even my dad couldn't pass the first page."

"Are you trying to be medic-nin now?" Shikana joked, motioning to the book.

He shook his head. "No, okaasan said my chakra control isn't perfect enough, so I won't advance very far. It's still good to learn about chakra flow and how it's related to bone structure."

Shikana's mouth formed an "o" in shock. "Training for the mind as well as your body? You seem to only read these things."

Sousuke shrugged. "I like reading."

"As always," she smiled back. "Don't drown yourself in these books."

He could only stare at Shikana, who currently was trying to decipher the complicated words in the book. She didn't notice his eyes were boring into hers. He missed seeing this side of Shikana, or her at all. He hadn't expected her to talk to him first. Obviously, him nearly losing his life played a factor because that was just who she was, but had she really put that mission in the past?

They still were uncomfortable about it. At least, Sousuke did. It pained him to no end, wondering if Shikana ever forgave him or not. They had yet to even talk about it ever since that day; it was just a silent agreement between them never to speak of it again. When they decided on this, Sousuke didn't know. He stared at the bento in front of him, a wave of guilt overcoming his mind.

He slowly swayed the fold-up table away from his lap, lifting it and the bento box along. "S-Shikana, I'm-"

Just as Shikana turned around to meet his face, she collided into the bento box in Sousuke's hands. Within a second, all the contents fell onto Shikana. Sauce dripped all over her shirt and rice pieces hung onto dear life above her chest. Both stared at each other, wide-eyed, in shock. They had the same shade of red covering their faces.

"I'm sorry, Sousuke-kun! I-I-I didn't mean to-"

"No, it w-wasn't your fault! I should have been more careful!"

Shikana looked down at her shirt, wiping off the rice. "It's okay, I-I-I'll just-"

"N-n-no, no, let me," Sousuke's hand beat Shikana's, immediately rubbing the food bits off her shirt furiously. Shikana's face redden a thousand shades darker upon contact with Sousuke.

Sousuke was panicking so much about wiping off the food from his friend that he barely heard the door open. A familiar, bored voice spoke.

"Sousuke, sorry, but I need to debrief you on the-" Nara Shikamaru's eyes widened to the size of golf balls at the sight before him.

Both Sousuke and Shikana froze instantly, staring at her father in surprise. They noticed his expression suddenly darkened and Sousuke looked down. His face instantly paled in horror at their situation.

Fate must really enjoy torturing the eldest Uchiha son, for his hands were on Shikana's chest. Or to be exact, her breasts.

Sousuke had never sweated more profoundly that moment than his entire life._ W-W-W-Why must this always happen when he's around...I-I-If he t-t-thinks I was f-fondling with her- _Oh god, now he was thinking of words like "fondling." Why must it always be with this girl?

The silence was just too disturbing. Sousuke knew he should take his hands off, yet fear had taken over his body to do anything else. No glares were evident on Shikamaru's face, but it was obviously he was not liking the scene before him.

"Uchiha."

"Right."

Sousuke's hands quickly backed off of Shikana's chest as if it were a deadly animal. Both teenagers avoided each other's eyes, red-faced like no other. Sousuke was about to mutter a quiet apology when he noticed Shikana standing up from his bed, dusting off the rest of the mess.

"Um, I-I'll just go wash off," Shikana excused herself nervously.

She paced quickly outside the room, brushing by her father slightly. If anything, Sousuke was very well aware of how embarrassing it was for her, especially in front of her own father.

Now, it was just him and Shikamaru alone. In the room. Him crippled to the hospital bed. At a disadvantage. With no Shikana to defend him. Sousuke took a heavy gulp. He mustered up every confident he had in his bone at the moment to look at Shikamaru directly in the eye.

"S-Sir, I'm very sorry about that. I d-didn't m-mean to-"

"I won't go there if you don't go there," Shikamaru stated, trying to hide his irritation. Sousuke had no idea how to respond to that. Luckily, the Nara patriach started again.

"Anyway, as the team leader, you were required to file out a mission report," explained Shikamaru. "However, considering your situation, the Hokage has sent me to debrief you and has postponed your report until next week. Debriefing you should aid us in the means to convict your attacker."

Sousuke nodded. "Who is he? He said he knew me."

"Only the Hokage and ANBU Ops know his identity," Shikamaru spoke quickly, his voice wavering slightly. "It's best to lay it low for now."

Sousuke raised an eyebrow, knowing very well that Shikamaru himself was letting on less than he knew. But doubting that Shikamaru would ever tell him this soon, Sousuke decided not to press on this matter. At the moment, he began relaying the events of the mission yesterday, from being ambushed by several Sound-nins to the sudden appearance of his kidnapper. Shikamaru listened intently, jotting down notes on his clipboard as Sousuke spoke.

The debriefing lasted no more than ten minutes. Shikamaru glanced over his notes a few time, making sure all the details were accurate before finishing up. He tucked the pencil underneath the metal, the clipboard under his arms.

"Thank you for your time, Uchiha," Shikamaru stated. "Remember to turn in a mission report by next week."

"Yes, sir," Sousuke replied respectfully.

Shikamaru stood up from his chair, about to make his way to door. Then, he paused when he glanced back, his eyes widening slightly. He saw Sousuke pick up an extremely thick book, open it up to a bookmark, and started reading it. Shikamaru's eyes followed to where Sousuke had retrieve his books and nearly tripped on his own feet. There was another stack of large books awaiting for Sousuke's brain to devour them.

Noticing that the Head Jonin still had yet to leave the room, Sousuke stopped his reading for a brief moment.

"Uh, sir, is something wrong?"

"I'm getting this feeling that you aren't reading those books because you're simply bored." _Those are some pretty high-level medical books..._He only knew one other person in the world who would torture themselves to read those dreadful books.

"Oh, um sorta," Sousuke smiled sheepishly. "I mean, I do like reading them, but I haven't had the time because I've been training a lot. And since my mother won't release me until tomorrow, I had to take advantage of it, so she gave me these books from her office."

"Your mother used to read those all the time."

Shikamaru had blurted it out all a sudden. And those words made Sousuke smile. Shikamaru caught that on instantly. _Very interesting..._

"It appears that you rather be known as the son of Haruno Sakura than of Uchiha Sasuke."

Sousuke perked up, immediately understanding Shikamaru's meaning. The older jonin had such a stern, yet empathizing look on his face, it was almost laughable. He was usually never this serious.

And as if on cue, a chuckle escaped Sousuke, breaking the sternness on Shikamaru's face. The playfulness in the boy's chuckle...it was so hauntingly precious from the young Uchiha.

"Actually, I don't like either," Sousuke replied, pausing as he contemplated his actual feelings. "But I know that when I do something great, it makes me happy when people say 'yeah, that's definitely Uchiha Sasuke's and Haruno Sakura's kid.'"

Now, Shikamaru just stared at him curiously like he was a lab rat. Sousuke was starting to feel uncomfortable from the man's intense stare. Within a few seconds, Shikamaru was walking back to his chair, seating himself next to Sousuke's bedside. He scratched his head, unsure of what to say.

"You know, Sousuke," Shikamaru began uncomfortably. "It's not good to constantly train your mind with all these books. Even great ninjas need rest."

Sousuke frowned playfully, clutching his book defensively. "I don't get why everybody's making a big deal of me reading."

Shikamaru only smirked, much to the teenage boy's confusion. He glanced up at the clock; there was extra time.

"Your father easily got jealous when boys got around your mother back then," Shikamaru started, implying another story was to be told. Sousuke instantly dropped the book out of his hands, concentrating his full attention to his superior. Who knew that the slightest mention of their parents' past was enough to get the Uchiha kids to listen to you?

"Whoa, I'm not telling you about what happens when he gets jealous," Shikamaru cleared up quickly. "That's too troublesome, considering he had a very short temper." A small chuckle escaped from Sousuke. "No, something else made him just as jealous…"

* * *

><p>Yes, your parents had their romantic moments.<p>

Yes, your parents love each other dearly.

And yes, their romantic moments can be annoying to the point that they have no idea how troublesome it could be.

Especially in a freaking library.

And unfortunately I became the innocent, unexpected victim to it.

Konoha was having some foreign troubles with this random village I can't even remember (probably because it was so pointless to the world) and Tsunade-sama had tasked me to analyze the possible flaws on the documents they signed not to long enough to determine whether it was worth holding on to their agreements or not. To my annoyance, the documents were at least 50 pages and I had to finish it all within a week.

Troublesome, really, since I could never find the perfect place to concentrate on it. Ino couldn't stop yapping about this stupid girl that bothered her when I tried at her house (figures). I couldn't handle my mother's commands for me to do chores at my place. Choji couldn't stop making those loud munching noises when he ate. The training grounds were tainted by Naruto's Rasengans to those poor trees. And the cafes had the occasional Lee screaming about how he was going to do 500 laps under the lame power of youth.

By then, there was only one day left and I barely started. So, I ended up going to the library in the most private, quietest part. Lo and behold, I see your mother there as well, probably researching weirder, complicated, beyond-the-norms medical stuff that we honestly don't care about cause we're not crazy medic-nins that weren't trained by the Great Tsunade. But then again, I related to her since she probably tried to get away from the annoying society of loud people we called Konohagakure.

I took a table in a corner, because nobody wants to ever bother a guy sitting in the corner. However, it's close enough that I can tell how irritated your mother looks as she rereads her textbooks. She probably has something to finish too, like some random autopsy or whatever they do. Either way, I would have ignored if.

If _someone_ didn't intrude the peace.

It becomes one of the strangest days in my life, really. Especially when you see the Uchiha Sasuke in a library.

Now, I know he's a genius and studious and all, but it's weird imagining your father picking up a book. Fortunately, I never had to go through that since I saw him walk straight to your mother's table, taking a seat next to her. Oh, how cute. He's giving her company. What a cute boyfriend. Now don't make out or have sex while I try to finish my task of saving Konoha from another stupid, potential-war mess that I would for the next 20 years thanks to Naruto.

Later, I would discover I spoke too soon.

See, your father wasn't there simply to keep your mother company. He kept prodding on her to stop reading her textbooks, that she was more tired than usual. That she hasn't been eating well lately. And she would respond that it was an important part of being a medic-nin, to always learn new things to help out more people or whatever troublesome speech she can give really.

Obviously, your father sounds angry that she prefers a book over his almighty status. Then, they proceed to play cute, romantic, but incredibly cheesy and stupid games where Sasuke snatches away her book, Sakura gets angry and yell-whispers him to give it back, and he taunts her with a supposedly-sexy kiss or something. Either way, each time he does it, it pisses your mother off even more each time.

But unfortunately, that seems to...excite your father even more. According to his smirk. This is troublesome, really. Especially for me. Their cute-sy moments are ruining my chances to concentrate on my task that Tsunade will kill me if I didn't succeed.

So their little games continue. And strangely, your mother starts to lighten up, giggling even. Oh my god, this was taking a turn for the worst. I prayed to Kami that they wouldn't start having sex in the library. It's good in theory, but seriously, not the best idea especially when's a third party in the same area as well. Pity me, Sousuke. It was annoying. I mean, we've always ridiculed your father for his lack of romance for Sakura. Yet out of all the times to express it, why did it have to be not only around me, but when I had some serious business to finish?

And yet, it seems to fit your father so perfectly.

He was always a private man. He never did like revealing what really went through his head. So the fact that I knew that he has these moments with your mother, that he doesn't need to tell the world about these moments to make her happy...that's saying something. Seems weird for him, honestly, but at least it's something. And it's something that only your mother could bring out. Only your mother could make him do things that weren't very Sasuke-esque. Sometimes, it's creepy what kind of sides we see from him thanks to Sakura. I mean, romantic Sasuke? That's like Chouji going on a diet. Or Gai accepting the fact that he's old. Or Kakashi giving up on those perverted books. Or Naruto announcing that he doesn't want to be Hokage.

I wouldn't say your father completely changed because of your mother. He still acts the same way he did in the past. He's still addicted to his "Hn"-ing as if it's a drug. No, he did not change because of your mother. I believe he always had that gentle side to him, that playful side. Maybe it's not that overused, but it probably has always been there. Everybody has it; it stems from the joys of childhood. Your mother was just the first for him to let it out. The first person to tell him it's okay to stop hiding it. If he was going to love her, he needed to know how to have fun too. Well, not all the time because that's way too bizarre for Konoha to handle.

So I decided to let their cuteness slide just this once. I mean, even if your mother held this strength that she didn't need Sasuke by her side when he left for Madara, those who knew her could tell she had her weak moments. That there was once a time, she was a complete wreck. And when I see Sasuke with her, all smiling cheerfully and in bliss, I can never see it as his redemption; it's more of a gift to her.

So, I dropped on how annoying it was for them to be all giddly while I worked on the documents. What the hell, nothing can beat love like that.

Until I hear your father slam your mother on the table. Hard. And the haunting words that came out of their mouth.

"Are you sure you wanna do this, Sasuke-kun?"

"Hn. There's no one here anyway."

And moans followed.

I wanted to die. With these thoughts coming to my head.

What. The. Fuck. Troublesome. Couple. This was the freaking library! I know we're horny teenagers who have probably done it everywhere in this village, but not the library please. Just keep it pure. Especially when I could possibly ruin Konoha's foreign relations. Sure, it's cute how your parents had these moments, but not when I'm around. It's just downright nasty. Especially because creepy scenes snuck into my mind if what they could possibly be doing, like wondering how good they were in the bed. Seriously, I was too tainted. It was their entire fault. I don't think I could even sleep with Ino for a month after this experience.

How could they be doing this? I mean, I made no attempt to hide my chakra (rather, the opposite) so they wouldn't end up doing this. Maybe Sasuke secretly knew I was around and wanted to torture me. He can be sadistic like that.

You would think hearing two people in the middle of sex would turn you on as well like it's porn, but no. It's just disturbing because you realize it's actually people you know doing it. Especially if it's Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura. Truthfully, it scars you. You don't forget these things after twenty years. And sometimes, you suddenly remember it very vividly on the occasional times you see them eye-to-eye.

I really wanted, no _needed,_ to leave. But I didn't want to have those awkward moments where you break up their lovefest and...yeah. But I didn't want to stay and endure it. That meant having to listen to your mother moan his name over and over. Oh my god, how did nobody realize what was going on? Where was the librarian for heaven's sakes? Damnit, Sasuke. I don't remember looking those two in the eye for a few weeks afterward.

Why me, why me, why me, why me, I kept thinking to myself.

But I stayed anyway. To avoid awkward moments. Because that's how I am. I have to remain strong and ignore it.

For Two. Troublesome. Hours. Of. My. Life.

* * *

><p>"So there you have it," Shikamaru finished, his arms still crossed tightly against his chest. "Your parents' romance is so sweet, it annoyed the hell out of me."<p>

Sousuke didn't know how to respond. He was red-faced with embarassment. Shikamaru could only understand. It's not everyday that you hear your own superior talk about your parents' lovemaking in a library.

"Nice to know they were still sex monsters," Sousuke muttered shamefully.

Shikamaru sighed. "By then, I knew to avoid such a scene by stealing all the books away from your mother. She reads too much of them."

Sousuke chuckled. "Shikana tells me to stop reading all the time too-" he stopped immediately, noticing the implication he just made according to Shikamaru's raised eyebrows. The young Uchiha looked away, even more embarrassed. This day was not going well. It certainly didn't help that he was stuck in a hospital bed.

Slowly, Shikamaru stood up from his chair. "Anyway, the Hokage is giving you two weeks off from missions. You've been overstressing yourself."

"I'll tell him thanks when I get back," Sousuke replied.

"Ah, and I need to get out of here before your mother yells at me," Shikamaru said. "Get some rest, Sousuke. And no more books. That's an order."

"Yes, sir," Sousuke gulped obediently. As Shikamaru closed the door, Sousuke gently closed the book to his marked spot and left it on the table. He landed back down to his pillow, his head resting to its softness. He took in a heavy sigh as he slowly closed his eyes.

_His parents' argument grew louder and louder under the night sky..._

_A child screamed painfully, begging for his tormentors to stop..._

_Red everywhere. Blood._

Sousuke shot right back up to a sitting position. He looked around him. He was still in the hospital, glancing back and forth.

_Why...what was that..._

* * *

><p>He locked his office door securely as he left for the day. Evening was sinking and in time, the sun would sleep and the moon would rise.<p>

Usually, Uchiha Sasuke would stay in the office until nightfall; he could consider this early for him. But today also felt incredibly tiring. It was almost as if he just finished running around the village ten times. What exactly did he do? Well, to start off, Naruto forced him to run this boring meeting with the entire ANBU Ops for three hours about their captive and future operations. He also made a personal appearance at the guards' station this afternoon to scare the hell out of them to upgrade their performance in case of attacks of the village. Not to mention, he had to go down to the stupid interrogation unit for updates. Then, he ran back to Naruto's office for the daily report on how ANBU performances, the upcoming Exams he had to monitor along Neji, and whatever crap Naruto told him to do.

Worse, he still had to fill out Kenji's damn Academy forms and pick up the stupid groceries. Out of all the weeks he had to take care of groceries, why now?

He exited the Hokage Tower, dragging his feet toward the nearest supermarket. But who was he kidding when he knew very well the supermarket was a good 30 minutes away from the Hokage Tower? He considered just getting take-out for the kids than make them dinner. He grunted in annoyance of today. He seriously needed more time for himself.

He passed by the cherry blossom tree, his steps faltering upon setting his eyes there. It was only when he reached closer that he could hear the innocent laughter of his youngest son.

Sasuke finally stopped, only to stare at the scene unfolding before him.

Sitting under the cherry blossom tree was Kenji and an unfamiliar red-headed girl. What they were doing that whole time, Sasuke had no clue. But he couldn't help but listen to his son laugh at the several pink petals that fell on the girl's head. Sasuke saw the girl hesitantly remove the petals slowly until Kenji stood up quickly to do it himself. Kenji removed each petal from the girl's hair, one by one, gentle as any kid could ever be. The girl's face quickly matched the color of her hair. Such a precious moment between two young children...

Sasuke walked onward, a rare smile gracing his face.

* * *

><p><em>The screams grew louder, a child's now intermixed with a girl's.<em>

_Followed by silent crying, hot tears poisoning his cheeks._

_A puddle of blood, forming dangerously fast. Followed by a wave of it._

"Sousuke-kun, what's wrong? Wake up, please, you're scaring me."

_His blade, which had never shed the color red before, was now drenched in it._

_An argument broke out, a woman and a man yelling at each other in a bedroom prevented the young boy from sleeping._

_A dark hand covered a boy's mouth, muffling his screams._

_The brilliant red sharingan, possessed on a boy, haunted again._

"Sousuke-kun! Sousuke!"

He screamed out loud as his eyes shot wide open. He saw only the white ceiling through his eyes, but he had never felt any worse waking up. His whole body was sweating up a storm, moistening the blanket little by little. He breathed heavily and unevenly, desperate for air. His hand was about to reach for his forehead when he felt a wet cloth covering it already, soft fingers barely grazing over his skin.

"W-w-what..." Sousuke tried sitting upright before he was pushed back down to his bed.

"No, don't," Shikana urged him. "What's going on, Sousuke-kun? What's wrong?"

She brought a hand to his cheek, shocked at how warm he was.

_The blade sliced through the ninja's body, ending the life that never was meant to be ended, yet Sousuke couldn't imagine it otherwise._

His bangs covering his eyes, Sousuke pushed away her hand from his face, not daring to look at her.

"I'm fine," he lied under his breath, taking off the cloth from his head.

"No, you're not," Shikana argued as she snatched it away from his hands, squeezing out the extra water. "Do you need me to call your mother? Get medicine?"

"Shikana, I'm fine, just-"

"But you were having a nightmare again!" Why was she being so stubborn today?

_She couldn't stop crying in his chest. The tears were unstoppable, like a waterfall. How could he have let this happen to her? How could all that training amount to nothing? How could she ever trust him again?_

He winced at her tone. "It's nothing. Just a bad dream. Really, Shikana, if I can just go back to s-"

"How can you be fine with these nightmares again?" Shikana was now shouting at him, extremely worried. "Please, Sousuke-kun, let me help you! You can't just hide these things away from-"

"I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP GODDAMNIT! WHEN THE HELL DID YOU GET SO FUCKING ANNOYING?"

And both teenagers froze upon Sousuke's words. Shikana went frigid, staring at him wide-eyed in pure shock and horror. Sousuke? He didn't dare even to glance at her blue eyes. He hung his head low, fist clenched tightly to his bed sheets so that it wouldn't direct themselves to his face. He knew what he said was stupid, wrong, completely idiotic, and out of his own character. Never in a million years did he ever think he would say that to her.

But he had to. He just had too.

_"Please Sousuke-kun...d-d-don't tell anyone...please..."_

"Just leave," Sousuke stated coldly.

**SLAP**

He didn't even care to react to her slap. Nor the fact that it was very unlike of Shikana to hit him intentionally while he was defenseless. He didn't care that the red mark on his left cheek was slowly burning through his skin.

All he could imagine was the hot tears slowly falling down from her precious blue eyes.

"You..." she started sternly, trying her best to cover her cracking voice. "...are a jerk."

That was the last thing she said to him before she ran out of his hospital room, her distant whimpers echoing down the hallway. He heard her loud footsteps rushing to get out of the hospital. With the tiniest glance to the window, he saw her small figure running out of the hospital, to the village, and to the direction of her home.

Usually, if there was even the slightest hint that Shikana was going to cry, Sousuke would ask her if everything was alright. He would have taken her out of her bedroom, drag her out for a walk around the village, and talk to her about what happened. And he would have trained with her just to cheer her up.

But not anymore. Sousuke sighed as he came to that conclusion, closing his eyes to allow the moment sink in. Those times were gone for good.

"I did not raise you to treat women like that."

Sousuke's fist tightened once again to the bed sheet, his eyes concentrated on his lap. He could hear his father leap down from the window to the floor softly. He wouldn't have realized his father was in the room if he hadn't spoken in his irksome tone. Sousuke could feel the dark aura bursting from his father, prepared for another stupid lecture.

Arms crossed against his chest, Sasuke stood up straight, staring at his son intensely. "That girl cares about you deeply, but you constantly push her away. You have no idea what's going on in her head."

Sousuke winced, biting his lips. "Stay out of it, otousan. You don't know what's happened."

"I don't give a shit if you screwed up the Snow Country mission," Sasuke pressed on, his tone harsher. "More importantly, you've let her down."

"Did you really have to remind me of how weak I am?" Sousuke gritted through his teeth, his fist clenched so tightly that he could rip the sheets.

"Not in the way you're thinking," Sasuke stated. "You just sit here, wallowing about she can't look at you in the eye anymore, when really..."

"Shut up..." Sousuke whispered, but his father ignored him.

"This is the exact same reason you could never become ANBU," Sasuke continued coldly. "You can't handle the things a man needs to do. You're not mature enough to realize what a coward you are."

"Shut up..." Sousuke's voice rose.

"You are being a selfish, arrogant brat who doesn't want to face-"

"YOU SHUT UP! WHO ARE YOU TO TELL ME HOW TO TREAT WOMEN WHEN YOU'RE READY TO LEAVE MY MOTHER ANY MINUTE?" Sousuke yelled angrily, his eye meeting with his father's. But this time, it was his red sharingan against his father's cold black ones. He saw his father flinch by the slightest, but he went on.

"You come here talking to me like you know any better! You're ready to leave the house after the stupidest arguments with okaasan! I don't give a fuck on all the nice things you did with her back then! You can't do them anymore! How do I even know you still love her like you did?"

Sasuke stayed silent.

"At least I know Shikana will never forgive me! You just assume okaasan will be okay every time you screw up! YOU JUST ASSUME SHE'LL ALWAYS BE THERE WHEN YOU WON'T!"

"You need to rest," Sasuke urged calmly. "You're not thinking straight."

Unfortunately, his son ignored him. "I have good reasons to not want Shikana around, so mind your own business and get the hell out of my-"

"I will not allow you to screw up your life!"

Sousuke finally stopped yelling, but continued giving his father a death glare. Sasuke could only do the same. His lips parted, but no words came out. He turned around, the Uchiha clan symbol to Sousuke's face as he stomped toward the door. He unlocked it, but his hand paused for a brief moment. Slightly, he turned to face Sousuke one last time.

"I raised you to be better than this," Sasuke confessed harshly. "So don't make the same mistake I did."

Before Sousuke could even ask what his father's underlying message was, the door was slammed shut.

* * *

><p>Yeah, I'm not going to do long commentaries this time since I need to get back to some serious APSAT/college stuff.

So obviously, Shikana makes an appearance because, well, she's Sousuke's love interest. And I just had to put an awkward moment when Shikamaru steps in. Upon requests, I put in a scene for Sakura and kids, especially with Sousuke, since we haven't seen it often. I put in Kimiko's scene with her nemesis because, well, we need something funny to go along. Plus, it's fun to write about Kimiko being a typical teenage girl. I don't really like future fics where they make Sasuke's daughter this over-the-top genius or whatever. I wanted to write one where she was close to normal at least. That she has girl insecurities too.

For Shikamaru's story, he provides the perfect cynical point-of-view and I just had a lot of fun writing his part. I made Sasuke appear too romantic in the past stories, so Shikamaru gives a good balance to it. Actually, his cynical view in this story is based on how I view over-the-top couples (though, you can't consider SasuSaku like that, but just saying). There's nothing emotional about his story, it's more of a light, relaxing story that's just pure bliss and fluff with a touch of Shikamaru-ness.

No SasuSaku story in the next chapter, but I've found a way to make up for that :)

Anyway, please let me know if these stories are coming out where they sound more rushed than usual. I really need to know so I can improve on later chapters. By the way, the end is starting to come soon, probably only a few chapters left so BE PREPARED! I hope to finish this by the end of the year, so let's keep our fingers crossed!

Again, thanks for reviewing and the support guys! I'll try to update when I can but for now, GOTTA TAKE ON SENIOR YEAR!


	13. Resurfaced

Chapter 12: Resurfaced

IM ALIVE!

Yeah, I just finished SATs, and now I have to REALLY, REALLY CONCENTRATE ON COLLEGE APPS! OMG they are creeping up on me like crazy. So again, it's gonna be a while for me to update again, probably around December will be the latest. However, I will try to sneak in another chapter around Thanksgiving because I have break during that time. Again, please be patient with me! It's not that I don't want to update, I've just been extremely busy with senior year. Don't worry: Once January comes around, I'll be updating more and more. It's just the beginning that's really tough.

So what's been happening with my life (for anybody interested)? Well, I got Homecoming Queen YAY! I feel like I don't deserve it because I complained so much about how time-consuming Court was but I guess it was worth it. My partner was King so win-win! The only part I disliked was I had to go around the Homecoming Football Game to take pictures with random people when I rather be watching. Either way, our school won :) We're currently number one in the division right now for tennis which makes me really excited! We're aiming for CCS this year FTW. I dunno if you guys like long chapters or not, but hopefully they keep you occupied long enough to make up for my lack of updating.

Yeah, back to the story!

* * *

><p>Sakura was very amused. Very.<p>

The grin on her face had yet to disappear, enjoying the moment before her to the most. She rested her chin against her hands, holding her head up. Her other hand only tapped the pencil on her desk up and down, beating it like a drum.

It wasn't everyday that she got to see her husband pace back and forth, in her office, ranting about their son like a whiney, little boy.

"-He's being too inconsiderate, and idiotic at this," Sasuke grunted fiercely, unaware of how much his wife was enjoying this. "That little goonhead had the guts to question our relationship, especially with the anniversary coming up. That boy needs a lesson to be taught-"

"Hmmm really?" Sakura added, as if actually interested in what he was saying.

"He's been acting too rashly and arrogant lately. First, he takes a billion missions to pass the ANBU Exams with ease then drops it over a girl," Sasuke went on. "What the fuck is going on in his head? He's getting too damn annoying."

"No, do tell me why," Sakura rolled her eyes, glancing at the papers she had to work on, but had laid ignored ever since her husband burst the door open to her office and proceeded his little rant. In her mind, it was pretty cute that Uchiha Sasuke only ranted to her at times like these, let alone about their own son. It was a side that only she was allowed to see, and she thanked the gods, because they came out more comical than her husband intended.

"I need to punch his little dickface more often if he's going to keep up like this. I can't stand his moody, cocky, cold, angsty, and fuck, he's-"

"Becoming just like you?"

Sasuke stopped to shoot his wife a deadly glare. Sakura giggled, unnerved by the sudden coldness she received from him. After twenty years with this man, she grew to be immune to his glares; they had no power over his own wife.

She sighed when no response came from Sasuke, standing up from her chair as she walked over to him. He had his back to her, standing straight and mighty. She wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her forehead against his strong back. Sasuke didn't move an inch, keeping his arms crossed and his eyes closed to Sakura's gesture.

"Don't take it too personally, Sasuke-kun," Sakura pouted. "He has some of your good parts too. Like ambition, confidence, the very handsome looks..."

"Hn."

"Even if he's so different from you..." Sakura bit her lips, lifting her head up to see the back of Sasuke's head. "I sometimes confuse you two."

It was then Sakura felt Sasuke's body loosen up, his shoulders instantly relaxing. A quiet sigh escaped from his lips. Soon, his hands dropped to intertwine his fingers with hers tightly.

"He's treating that girl the same way I did to you."

His tone may have been cold and nonchalant, but Sakura could hear what held underneath. She turned him around slowly so that they faced each other, grabbing onto his shoulder as she tiptoed up for a soft kiss on his lips.

"He'll figure it out himself, just like you did," Sakura said. "I can tell he loves that girl very much and if we know Sousuke, then we'll just have to trust in him."

"Naruto helped me," Sasuke grunted with a frown.

"Well Sousuke can do it on his own because that's just who he is; he just needed a little motivation from you," Sakura replied, kissing him again.

And slowly, Sasuke pulled away, glancing the other direction. He released his hands from Sakura's and walked to the couch, slumping against it. He rested an arm over the couch, staring at his wife.

"Sakura..." To Sakura, there was something different about Sasuke's eyes right now. It seem a lot less colder, more grieving.

"Do you ever regret marrying me?"

Sakura's eyes widened, her mouth agape.

"Don't tell me you're having a midlife crisis."

She received another death glare from Sasuke, forcing her to laugh. He just stared at her like she was a lunatic. Still laughing, she took a seat on Sasuke's lap, lacing her fingers around his neck.

"Seriously, you're still asking me that? After twenty years? After we promised Kenji a little brother?" Sakura chuckled, pecking him on the cheek. "Unless you're trying to get out of the anniversary because you haven't found anything."

Sasuke stiffened slightly, causing her to giggle. She just knew her husband too well. Softly, she placed her head against the crook of his neck, snuggling gently.

"I've been wanting to marry you since the Academy days. Now, I get to wake up every morning next to you and make breakfast for our three beautiful children."

"They came out pretty ugly," Sasuke muttered, earning a light smack from Sakura.

"Do you not hear all the girls squealing about how handsome Sousuke is? Or how adorable Kenji is? Or how all the boys have the hots for Kimiko?"

"Which boys?" Sasuke darted his eyes dangerously to his wife.

"Don't play dumb; you and I know that Kimiko is a very pretty girl who unknowingly attracts more boys than she thinks," Sakura chuckled. "Sousuke isn't the only Uchiha people crush on."

"Hn."

Sakura sighed. "You think we should tell Sousuke the truth why he has those nightmares?"

"No," Sakura looked up with a worried face at her husband's quick respond. However, her instincts calmed down when all she saw was a smirk on Sasuke's face.

"He's our son; he'll figure it out himself."

* * *

><p>He had no idea why he was doing this in the middle of the night.<p>

Sousuke's palms sweated as he clutched them into fists tightly, biting his lips nervously. Currently at nine in the evening, he was in front of the house that belonged to no other but Nara Shikana. Why he was there? Well, his father's words stung him greatly. Even if Sousuke had no idea what his father really meant, he suddenly had this urge to sneak out of the hospital and walk straight to her house.

This was either really brave or pathetic of him. Maybe both. Sousuke wasn't sure. He just didn't want this haunting him. He felt his throat dry up, unsure of what he was going to say to her, or even do. Usually, he had no problem going to Shikana's house, no matter how late the hours were. He knew her parents well; their mothers were best friends. He always felt comfortable coming at random times, even if it was just to talk to her about the simplest things in life. They were even okay with him sleeping over if it got too late; he was trustworthy.

But today, usual didn't exist anymore. It had ended long ago.

Slowly, he brought up his fist and knocked the front door gently. His heart beat faster as he heard footsteps from the other side of the door. It may have only been hours since he last saw her face, yet it felt like years to him. What was he going to say? He didn't have any time to plan it out! Within seconds, she was going to open the door or else he'll scram.

As a matter of fact, he prayed her father didn't open the door. That would just make things even more awkward. _Especially after today..._

The door opened, revealing a boy around ten-years-old, his brown hair the shape of a pineapple. He raised an eyebrow at the unexpected visitor.

"Sousuke-senpai?" Nara Chomaru said, a bit taken back. "It's pretty late right now."

Sousuke only smiled at the young boy. "Oh, Chomaru, you've grown since I last saw you! How are things at the Academy lately with Gaito? Teachers aren't giving you a hard time, right? Either way, you can make it up with that smart brain of yours-"

"You're just here for my sister, right?" Chomaru interrupted in a bored tone. Sousuke blushed madly, instantly feeling how he lost his cool attitude; he did just get owned by a ten-year-old. Hesitantly, Sousuke nodded.

Chomaru sighed. "It's irksome when people don't get straight to the point."

"If she would let me speak to her for a moment, I would really appreciate it," Sousuke added.

"Fine, I'll get her," Chomaru muttered in an irritated tone. His face turned around to the side.

"ONEESAN! SOUSUKE-SENPAI'S AT THE DOOR FOR YOU! DON'T MAKE HIM WAIT!" Chomaru screamed loudly.

"ARGH CHOMARU! WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT SCREAMING FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE HOUSE?" Sousuke could hear his Aunt Ino yelling, probably from the living room.

"BUT I DON'T WANT TO RUN UP TO ONEESAN'S ROOM AND GET HER! IT'S TOO IRKSOME!"

"DON'T BE LAZY AND JUST CLIMB THE DARN STAIRS!"

"BUT IT'S EASIER TO JUST-"

"I-I-It's alright now, Chomaru," Sousuke's eyes trailed everywhere for the tiniest view of Shikana running down the stairs to the front door. She was soon at the front, motioning Chomaru away, leaving him and her alone. She stepped outside nervously, closing the door quietly.

Suddenly, for a brief moment, no matter how weird the situation was, Sousuke felt calm. There was something about having her right in front of him that relaxed him instantly, a calmness that he hadn't felt for weeks. Maybe he liked seeing Shikana's usual fidgety-personae or her modest outfit or that he always thought she looked a lot prettier at night. He half-hoped he could see her every night, even for a few seconds. Her blue eyes really did look nice under the moonlight.

His thoughts disappeared when Shikana spoke up again. "K-Konbanwa, Sousuke-kun. Um, forgive me for asking, but what are you doing out? Shouldn't you still be at the hospital?"

"Oh, well, it's only a broken wrist, really," Sousuke replied quickly, rising up his bandaged arm. "You know how worried my mother gets. And um, well, I was just wondering if I could, er, I don't know how to-"

"HOLY SHIT UCHIHA'S MAKING A MOVE!"

"SNAP UCHIHA REALLY DOES HAVE BALLS!"

"DAAAAMMMNNNN BUDDY GET SOME!"

"SMACK THAT HOTTIE!"

Sousuke always wondered how he grew up with half the teenage boys in this village and survived. Then again, it wasn't like he ever tried to be best friends with them; rather, he avoided them as much as he could. He may be nice to every villager, but sometimes, he wished he had his sister's raging confidence and chidori everybody that annoyed him.

Obviously, Shikana was just as embarrassed as him according to her red face. "Would you like to talk in my backyard?"

Sousuke nodded in agreement rapidly, following her as they walked off the front porch and behind her house.

"YYEAAAHHHH SUPERSTAR! WORK YOUR MAGIC!"

"BANG IT, UCHIHA, BANG IT!"

"CHIKA CHIKA BOW WOW!"

High-pitched squeaks followed the second Sousuke threw a wave of kunais behind him. Such a shame Sousuke didn't smell any blood; apparently, those idiots were quick enough to be ninjas. But hey, at least they finally got their peace.

Shikana led Sousuke to a bench in her backyard, motioning for him to take a seat. He obliged, making sure he was a good distance away from her. Not too close that it suggested anything, but not too far to highlight the awkward situation they got tangled in. He find a middle ground for everything to be hard.

"Um, Sousuke-kun?"

Sousuke looked up, noticing how suddenly worried her eyes were at him. He noticed her fingers twiddling with each other not out of nerves, but because it was a very Shikana-thing to do. He opened his mouth, unprepared for what to say, what to talk about, what to do. He had never been in this type of situation, let alone with Shikana. It was all very confusing. And he wasn't sure if this was even the right thing to do; he just knew he had to.

"Shikana..." he started softly, trying his best to just look at her in the eye and hope that she won't stare at him in disappointment after she hears him out.

"Is everything okay?" She asked him, her face looking troubled. Sousuke couldn't help but smile. Even when she had every right to be mad at me, she was still concerned with him.

Slowly, he shook his head.

"No, not exactly," he answered earnestly. "That's why I'm here right now, really."

This was it; it was now or never. And never did sound very tempting. Sousuke sighed heavily.

"I'm sorry, Shikana."

"Eh?" Shikana blinked rapidly, obviously confused. "W-Why?"

"For everything," Sousuke cleared up. "Don't think it's just about today; I mean ever since the Snow Country Mission. I've been avoiding you because I couldn't stand to look at you in the eye. Not because you ruined the mission; it was because I did. I wasn't a good team leader, I didn't protect you, and I barely saved you in time. I was too concerned with thinking about how weak I was that naturally, I thought you would never forgive me. I thought you never wanted to talk to me again after I let that happen to you.

"And through all of that, I didn't expect that you needed comfort. I tell you that I'm always there for you, yet when you needed it most, I wasn't. That was my biggest regret. I was so caught up, selfishly thinking you would never forgive me, that I didn't realize you were probably struggling inside. You were having a worse time than I was with this, and I didn't even bother to help you. How the hell can I do that to one of my best friends?"

Sousuke stopped talking, observing Shikana's reaction. Just as he thought: wide eyes in bewilderment, tremoring lips, and paled face. He didn't know whether she had listened through every word or froze after the first, but it had its effect on her. This was it. That was all he could do, no matter how many more things he wanted to say to her, he couldn't. Slowly, he stood up from the bench. A heavy sigh escaped from him.

"It sounds stupid, but I really am apologizing for your forgiveness," he admitted, his tone distant and yearning. "I hope you still don't see me as a failed jonin captain, but I won't argue if you do. It's just...I miss talking to you everyday."

And before he could take a step, a pair of soft hands grabbed for his, preventing him from moving any further.

"Wait," Shikana called, her hands still on his. Sousuke neither took or let go her hand; it just hung there, motionless. He was much surprised by her action. He turned to face her, examining her worrisome, yet timid expression she always bore.

"Did you mean everything you just said?"

His face fell slightly. _After all of this...she still doubts me... _Sousuke felt his heart suddenly weight heavier upon hearing her.

Sousuke nodded his head slowly. "I respect you too much to lie to you. Why would I say anything else but the truth?"

Shikana's eyes widened for a slight second. She turned away, releasing her soft hold on Sousuke's hand as she returned to the bench, twiddling with her fingers. Her wavy hair fell over her shoulder, concealing half her face from his view. She bit her lips, her face concentrated to the ground, as if in shame.

"Because.." Shikana started nervously. "...I thought you were avoiding me because I was weak."

Sousuke's mouth opened, yet it released no words. He shook his head back and forth, hoping Shikana didn't say what he thought she just said.

"A-Are you kidding me?" He asked her in disbelief. "Why would you think like that? You're one of the strongest girls I know around here!"

"But the Snow Country Mission failed because I got captured easily," Shikana replied, embarrassed. "And you weren't talking to me, and when you did, you acted strange so I thought you were mad at me..."

"Just stop." Shikana nearly jumped when she saw Sousuke kneel in front of her, grabbing both her shoulders with his hands.

Sousuke half-regretted his action. He sounded harsher than he wanted to Shikana, and maybe grabbed her too forcefully. But he couldn't stand to hear her blaming herself for something clearly not her fault. He couldn't stand to hear her take responsibility that his own faults had led her believe.

"I can never be mad at you," Sousuke smiled. "And you are not weak. I mean, I wouldn't have survived the Jonin Exam if it weren't for your mind and shadow techniques! You're one of the few people who can break through my genjutsus! And you got the first recommendation letter from my father in years! That's saying something, don't you think Shikana?"

"Sousuke-kun..."

"I'm sorry I made you feel that way; I probably should have talked to you about it the moment we got home. Forgive me for being too caught up in myself rather than helping you out. I should have known better."

Once again, Sousuke took a seat next to her, sighing.

"Shikana, it's been on my mind for quite a while," Sousuke said. "I was afraid to ask you but..." He paused for a moment, hesitant to speak again.

"Did they try to...you know..." Sousuke gulped.

Understanding what Sousuke aimed for, Shikana immediately shook her head. "Oh, no, no! Nothing happened, not in that sense really, but I'm still...yeah..."

A wave of relief fell upon Sousuke. He instantly relaxed. "You have know idea how much it means to hear that."

"Why is that?" Shikana blinked several times in confusion.

He couldn't control the sudden laugh that came from his mouth. "Because I really care about you, and I don't ever want to see you hurt again."

Slowly, a smile broke to Shikana's face, that sweet smile Sousuke loved seeing. He never realized how long it had been since he last seen her smile like that: peaceful, serene, and always filled with kindness.

"Thank you, Sousuke-kun," Shikana replied. "And I'm sorry if I bothered you too much earlier at the hospital."

Sousuke shook his head. "That's also why I came to you: I needed to talk to you about the nightmares."

"What happened?" There it was, Shikana all worried again. Typical of her. But Sousuke would let her have her way; she deserved it. She had the right to know.

"I keep having the same nightmare over and over again," he confessed. "Of this little boy being tortured. He has the sharingan, and I can't help but think I'm the little boy in the dream. But see, I didn't get the sharingan until I was thirteen, yet it feels so real, like deja vu. They keep coming up every time I fall asleep."

Shikana's eyes widened, almost horrified. Sousuke didn't know whether to be surprised or not. He did expect her to be silent, just as she was now. He broke into a comforting smile.

"Don't worry; it's just a dream. I'm sure it'll pass. I've thought long and hard about it and there's just no way it could have physically happened."

"But I am worried," Shikana replied.

"Shikana, it's nothing. I mean, it's just today. It'll pass and-"

"But it's so easy for you to have nightmares. What if it comes back over and over again?"

Sousuke sighed helplessly. His eyes glanced up to the night sky; he half-chuckled. He remembered trying to count all the stars with his mother many years ago, back when he was a simple kid.

"I'm always going to have nightmares, Shikana. I don't know why, but I'm just going to accept it."

"Not when you have to suffer," Shikana replied sternly, nearly catching Sousuke off guard. She stood up from the bench and forcefully grabbed Sousuke's hand, leading him back to her house. Sousuke had to admit, Shikana was being very assertive tonight.

Her hand still gripped onto his hand tightly even when they entered her house. Sousuke knew he could take down Shikana easily in a fight of taijutsu, but right now, her strength seem to increase by tenfold.

They walked into the living room, where they found Ino sitting on the couch knitting. Ino smiled widely at the sight of the two teenagers, instantly quitting her knitting. She stood up, hands tightly clasped in excitement and eyes sparkling in pure joy.

"Well? Well, Shikana? Did he propose to you? Are you going to marry the Uchiha Sousuke?" Ino spat out too eagerly. "ARE ME AND SAKURA FINALLY GOING TO BE SISTERS? AHHH THIS IS JUST SO CUTE!"

Shikana had a sweatdrop. "I-It's not that okaasan. Actually, um, I was wondering if you could help Sousuke-kun."

"Ahhh, you sound so cute when you add the 'kun' to his name," Ino teased mercifully. "What can I do?"

"I-It's unnecessary, actually," Sousuke replied uncomfortably. "I was about to head out anyway before my mom kills me-"

"Sousuke-kun, you can't just run away from it," Shikana argued back under a hushed tone. "My mother specializes in the mind."

"What's going on here?" Ino raised an eyebrow, but the Shikana and Sousuke didn't pay attention.

"I know, but I really want to let this go, it's no big deal." He really did not understand for her sudden pushiness; apparently, all women possessed it.

"Please, Sousuke-kun? Just for a few minutes?" Shikana pleaded quietly.

And Sousuke stared at her for a moment into her eyes. Her ocean, blue eyes were the exact same of her mother's; that was the only trait they shared. Then, he remembered why he was even here in the first place, and sighed.

"Alright."

Sousuke gave her a reassuring smile, and yet, Shikana looked like she was about to break in relief. Before any of them said a word, she walked upstairs rapidly, only giving Sousuke the briefest glance. It was just him and his Aunt Ino alone. He bowed to the woman politely.

"Konbanwa, Ino-basan," he greeted. "I'm sorry you had to see that earlier. Shikana was only trying to-"

"Convince you to talk to me about your nightmares?"

Sousuke's eyes widened. Ino chuckled lightly.

"I am a mother, Sousuke; I don't always need to use my mind techniques," Ino smiled. Sousuke thought she smiled like Shikana.

"Do you have nightmares of scenes that feel like memories, but don't remember them?"

"Y-Yes," Sousuke admitted nervously. "How do you know?"

Ino suddenly fidgetted. Her shoulders looked uncomfortable, slightly hunched up. Then, she sighed.

"You're not a child anymore, Sousuke, and I feel like this is something for your mother to tell you," Ino said softly. "But I know she's too scared to tell you: There's a reason you have nightmares."

Sousuke heart tightened as he eagerly awaited for the answer. Finally, an answer to his problem. An answer to something he often ignored, but impacted him profoundly. He always wondered if his parents ever knew about it, but he would have to wait and see.

"Your nightmares came from activating your sharingan at four years old."

Sousuke's eyes widened. He was about to scoff at the notion, but restrained himself.

"That doesn't make any sense," Sousuke replied, his face tightening in confusion. "I-I didn't get it until I was 13."

"But you adjusted to it quickly, no? Had your father said you adapted quicker than the typical Uchiha?"

Sousuke thought long and hard about it before nodding.

"It's because it had been dormant," Ino explained. "You've had it since you were four; you just never knew how to use it."

"But I don't remember having it then," Sousuke argued weakly. "How did I get it exactly? Why did I get it that time? Why can't I remember it?

"Because that's memory's been sealed away."

Sousuke's eyes widened. He felt his heart stop beating, or rather, forcefully pulled out from him. It matched well, the feeling of something missing so suddenly. His hands tremored and he didn't know how to calm them down.

"I-I don't u-understand..." he could barely speak.

Ino's face dropped. She clenched her hand tightly, nervous on what was to come.

"I believe you are now old enough to realize what your parents never told you as a child..."

* * *

><p>It was over ten years ago. You were very young, Sousuke, only four years old. Even if the memory had never been sealed away, you probably would have no recollection of it; the younger the child, the less likely they remember things.<p>

Except, this case was unlike any other.

In this case, you were kidnapped at four years old.

They had come one night and broken into your home. At first, your parents thought they were spies who were simply after them. But there were just simply too many of them and through the distraction, one had managed to successfully steal you away from your parents.

Your mother was devastated and wanted nothing more than to go after you. But she couldn't; not in that state of mind. And she had your sister Kimiko to care for too, who was barely able to speak.

Your father was the first to act. Nobody but your parents were there, but the way your mother described it, it was so vivid. She said your father didn't waste a second going after you. You were his son, and he didn't want anything ever happening to you. He didn't wait for anything, not even an ANBU team. It was just him, going after your kidnappers, all by himself. I doubt he cared if an army of ninja awaited him; you were in danger. That's how parents are; we give up sanity for reason for our children. And your father was just the same.

Your mother would have done the same, but don't forget, you weren't their only child. Kimiko was still there, and nobody wanted her to wake up the next morning, wondering where her parents were. She may have been too young to understand what was going on, but you don't want a child crying to her missing parents. So she stayed behind, doing her best as a mother to tend to Kimiko. But we all knew no matter how much she tried to be happy for Kimiko, telling her young mind that you and your father were simply on a father-son vacation, that she was ready to break down.

But your father? I don't know how exactly he was during the whole entire time; he was away searching for you. Knowing him, he would have been in complete rage, maybe to the point of breaking like he was when he left for Orochimaru. You know he's lost people he loved throughout his life and each time, it left a scar that never heals. I don't know what would happen to him if he lost you that day, Sousuke.

You and your father didn't return until three days later. Most of the adults were ready at the entrance to find them, your mother at the very front. The scene was probably one of the saddest things any parent could witness. Your father was wounded and bruised from head to toe, and dried blood was evident from your his lips. He looked like he was about to faint, but he didn't. He couldn't pass out when you were in his arms. But you...on the outside, you were fine. Not a single scratch on you.

Except, you were shaking in your father's arms, erratically, abnormal for a child your age. We didn't know why. But then, you opened your eyes, and we were horrified.

At only four years old, you had activated the sharingan. And it would not go away.

You had to understand why we were so concerned. It was unheard for an Uchiha at the age to gain possession of the sharingan. Only from the most severe, traumatic event could it arise from your body. I wasn't sure what could have happened during your kidnapping to force your sharingan out at such a young age. But it's something your father always wanted to avoid for you and your siblings. It disrupts your ability to control charkra and how it flows. All that power from the sharingan has no way to go if you couldn't release. The moment the sharingan comes, you have to start intense training to overcome its effects. Otherwise, it would spiral out of control.

So it could only go into your mind. And that was nearly fatal for you.

You were plagued with nightmares for months after your kidnapping. The charkra you couldn't release from your sharingan was forcing a genjutsu on yourself. The longer the sharingan remained in your eyes, the more nightmares that haunted you. You were cursed with nightmares, with no way to stop them. You would wake up, screaming painfully at the night. And even if your father calmed you down with a counter genjutsu, it never stopped. They came back every night to torture you.

But your father refused to train you to control it. He didn't want to take away your childhood. He wanted to keep you innocent, away from the ninja world as long as he could. He probably knew you would become a top ninja someday, but not at the moment. He didn't want you to end up training you ruthlessly like he did to himself.

He was stubborn to a certain point, believing that the nightmares would be over soon. He had full faith in the idea, even though he spent countless nights sleeping next to you in bed, ready to stop any nightmares coming to you.

But it wasn't working. Those nightmares were taking a toll on you. During the day, you started to fear being around people. You used to play with Shikana and Koji all the time but ever since the nightmares started, you couldn't bear to look at them. You used to always laugh when Naruto gave you piggyback rides but when he did, you panicked and cried bloody murder. And once you were so warm to your sister Kimiko, but suddenly turned cold on her. In general, you were distancing yourself from everybody you loved without realizing it.

That was when your father gave up pretending that everything would be alright. That he couldn't help you anymore. And this needed to end somehow, no matter what the cost.

It was a huge step for your father to take: the realization that he was helpless to his own son.

So he did the forbidden: seal the memory of the trauma away.

He sealed it deep within, making it nearly impossible for you to search it again unless something triggered it. I'm an expert on how the brain works, and I can only infer that your capture was it. Maybe that's why they're resurfacing again, almost like a deja-vu after-effect.

But you see, you can't just seal it, make it disappear, and everything is okay. No, there's a gap in your memories that must be filled, regardless of what happened. You can't leave a void there; charkra will force you to recreate a memory based on the last thing you saw. It will fashion a pattern to match the events of the former memory, including your emotions, reactions, habits, and attitude to certain things.

But it came at a great cost. You see, you can't just use any memory. It must the previous one, the last thing you remembered clearly.

It was unfortunate that on that same night, you experienced your parents' first fight.

Strange how coincidence works, but it happened. You had watched your parents yell at each other in their master room. I don't believe you have any idea what it was about, but the last thing you saw was your father storming out of the room, out of house, into the darkness. And your mother didn't realize you were secretly watching her cry, alone, without anybody to hold onto her. That was the last thing you saw before the kidnapping happened just minutes later.

Your father knew very well that this would create intense distrust from you to him in the future. He knew you wouldn't be able to see him on the same level again, or would never forgive him. He knew that as you grew older, you would begin to grow suspicious of how he treated your mother. Basically, he knew you couldn't be the same child that ran to hug him every evening he came home from work.

But he went through with it anyway. In his mind, as long as you could have the childhood he never had, it was worth it. You may hate him, despise him, rant on him, but he swore to always be around when you need him.

And you did return to being a happy child. You were smiling warmly again to everybody. It was as if the events of the kidnapping never occurred, like it disappeared from everybody's memory. Maybe we still know about it, but we aren't constantly reminded of it everyday.

I don't know if I can say the same about your father. In fact, I'm not sure if he has forgiven himself yet. He has a problem with that, especially when it concerned the safety of his loved ones.

* * *

><p>"We were never told who kidnapped you," Ino stated calmly. "I doubt your own mother even knows. Your father and the Hokage kept it to themselves, hoping the other children wouldn't talk."<p>

Sousuke remained frozen, his expression unreadable. He may have looked undeniable calm, but his fingers kept fidgeting uncontrollably. He was trying to contain all the new revelations in and he was struggling to keep it within.

Then, he looked up to Ino.

"So that's why I have the nightmares? That's why he trained me so hard?"

Ino nodded firmly.

"The void of false memories disrupts your natural charkra flow which sometimes can create terrifying images," Ino explained. "That's why your charkra control isn't perfect, Sousuke. He took great measures to make sure you could stabilize the effects before they got worse."

Then, Sousuke stared at Ino's expression, how her eyes looked painful as she recited the story. He wondered how his own mother would have been like had he asked her about it. And that maybe it was better not to hear it straight from his mother; he didn't want to know how she would react to it.

"D-Did my father consult you on this?"

"I told him about all the consequences, how it had a greater toll on him than you emotionally. But he went through with it anyway. I'm one of the few people that knew about this."

"Shikana knows, doesn't she?"

Ino was slightly taken back from his question. However, she instantly relaxed upon seeing Sousuke's smile. He chuckled half-heartedly.

"That's why she always worries about me," Sousuke said, more to himself than Ino.

"Thank you for telling me this, but..." Sousuke paused for a moment, trying to regain his words. "…It's still hard to take it all in."

"Would you like for me to return that memory to you, Sousuke? It's your choice, but think through it before you decide," Ino suggested, but she sounded as if she preferred not to. "I can only tell you so many things about it."

Sousuke stiffened. To be given the chance for a memory that haunted him without him realizing it...he wondered if it would stop the nightmares, what it would do to him. And how his parents would react if they found out.

But he was 17 now, not a mere child anymore. Yet, he couldn't say he was an adult either.

And as if it was a distant memory, he could picture his father's rare smile flashing through his head.

_Otousan..._

* * *

><p>The next morning, Sousuke half-wished his attacker had murdered him into a quick and silent death.<p>

Anything was better than enduring the monstrous lecture from his mother. She had punished him for sneaking out of the hospital last night by forcing him to stay another day in rest when he clearly believed he was fully healed. He was very capable of walking on his own and feeding himself; plus, he had to get their anniversary gift soon. He couldn't let Kimiko do all the work. His mother wouldn't have any of it.

"I don't care how romantic and kind and sweet and caring you were to that girl, or that you acted just like the perfect gentleman I raised you to be that I wished your father could be more like," Sakura grumbled as she changed the bandages to his wrist rapidly. "But you do NOT leave my hospital under my watch! You need proper rest, Sousuke! Learn to worry about yourself for once!"

You don't mess with the head doctor of the hospital, not even if you're right. Sousuke had absolutely no power over his own mother. In fact, he had learned long ago never to engage into an argument with her, not even if it cost his reputation or life. You just don't argue with Uchiha Sakura. It was an unwritten law everybody abided too; except, his father, of course.

"I don't know how long I can be mad at you for," Sakura muttered, nearly cutting off Sousuke's blood circulation as she tied the bandage extremely tight. "I hate you for sneaking out when you made a miracle recovery, but you did it for the sweetest reasons, apologizing to her like a real man. Goodness, sometimes I wish your father could be half the man you are, admitting to his faults and all. Lousy jerk."

Sousuke chuckled. "Otousan's not that bad."

Sakura's jaw nearly dropped. She looked like she just experienced the apocalypse.

"Okaasan," he began. "I know about my nightmares; Ino-basan told me everything."

His mother's face turned pale, as if out of guilt. Her green eyes instantly lost the spark, looking more distraught than calm, no matter how much she wanted to show the latter. She paused her job, her hands reaching for her son's.

"S-Sousuke, I-"

"Wait, okaasan," Sousuke interrupted calmly, his other hand immediately to his mother's, comforting her gently. "Please don't apologize. I understand why otousan did it. I'm not angry at you; I can never be."

Tiny tears welled up around his mother's jade green eyes, but they didn't flat. Not yet. Not until Sakura released her hands from her sons and wiped her tears away. Sousuke looked on, guilty.

"Please don't cry, okaasan. I don't like seeing you cry."

Sakura broke into a chuckle, lowering her hand from her eyes. They were still a bit red. "You and your father...really know how to make girls cry."

Sousuke smiled half-heartedly.

"So..." his mother began again, a sense of hesitation in her tone. "...how are you feeling? After Ino replayed the memory for you?"

Slightly caught off guard from his mother's question, Sousuke remained silent. All he could do was watch his mother's expression grow more worrisome, her eyes glossier than earlier, threaten to cry again. She was waiting for a certain answer that unfortunately, she was less than expecting to happen. As if nothing would be a surprise, but didn't want it either.

Sousuke sighed.

"Actually...she never replayed it to me."

Sakura's eyes widen. Sousuke could have sworn his mother was about to fall off her chair. "W-What?"

"I didn't want to see it. I don't want to relive something that otousan fought over about. I mean, I've always thought he was tough on me so I could grow up faster but really..." Sousuke paused, the image of his father's stern face flashing through his mind. "...all he wanted was for me to have a normal childhood. Maybe that's why he had it sealed away.

"I know that I'm a realist guy and all, okaasan, but just this once...I would like to be a child and be naive about it. Just this once. I already know about it; why bother experiencing it again? I want to keep a part of me pure."

The memory of him slashing the man dead returned to his mind, his first kill flashing. Sousuke smiled bitterly. True, it was impossible to remain pure after that; the kill was a step to adulthood. He had been expecting to kill sometime in the future; he just never wanted it. He could never take that back again. No jutsu could force him to time travel back and change everything.

Sousuke's eyes widened when he felt his mother's arm wrap around his neck, pulling him to a soft embrace.

"How on earth did I end up with a weird son like you?" He could fear the tears drenching on his shoulders.

Sousuke smiled, returning his mother's embrace with his strong arms. He answered.

"I have weird, loving parents."

* * *

><p>A loud sneeze erupted from the ANBU Captain.<p>

"Damnit, dobe's talking shit about me again," Sasuke grumbled as he returned to his paperwork. He had been staring at Kenji's Academy forms for the past hour, and the words appeared much blurrier than before. Weird thing was, he didn't even feel tired. Was his eyesight growing poor? It couldn't be due to old age.

Sasuke threw the forms to the other side of his desk. Kenji didn't need to start the Academy anytime soon; in fact, Sasuke wouldn't mind if Kenji never became a ninja. He kinda liked the brat staying at home and his annoying screams for ice cream and the stupid bunny. And two ninja teenagers were enough for this family. Sasuke would really prefer if one didn't end up as another angsty, short-tempered teenager who suddenly hated him.

Besides, if his wife really wanted their son to start the Academy, she could do the forms herself.

His back straightened when he sensed a charkra scent behind him, ledged on the window. Sasuke glanced back; a messenger ANBU.

"Taichou, the prisoner has regained conscious. Shall we send someone down for interrogation?"

"No," Sasuke answered, standing up from his desk. He pulled off the white jacket from the coat hanger and threw it over his shoulders. He grabbed his sword sheath from his desk, strapping it to his waist as he made his way to the door.

"I'll do it myself," He replied as he shut the door behind him.

He passed several people who worked in the same building as him, each and every one of them stepping out his way and bowing to him as he passed by. Sasuke didn't even bother to give them a glance, or indication that he noticed them. Everybody knew not to mess with Uchiha Sasuke; especially when he was about the meet face-to-face with the idiot who messed with his son.

He turned a corner, down the hallway, then another, downstairs, and eventually, he was underground with the interrogation unit. He saw the big, towering figure of Morino Ibiki, who had worked here much too long for grey hair to spike randomly from his head. Ibiki gave a nod of affirmation to the ANBU Captain, and with his bulky hands, opened the enormous metal door.

Sasuke stepped in slowly, a hand clutching tightly to his sword's handle. He waited for Ibiki to close the door before making another step on the cold, stone floor. Darkness covered his vision immediately, but Sasuke knew in time, they would return. He adjusted rather quickly to dark rooms with his time as ANBU Captain.

Then, Sasuke's eyes met with the disappointing figure of a cloaked man, strapped helplessly to a chair in mere shackles. He could see the slightest hint of broken wrists, stitches nearly surrounding them in a full circle. Sasukee hid his amusement; clearly, Konoha was much to kind to their captives when his son wasn't. Not to mention, if he read the records properly, their prisoner suffered several sword wounds that destroyed muscle-nerve controls in critical areas.

Sasuke was very amused. He reminded himself to thank his wife for teaching their son medical ninjutsu; that boy definitely knew how to utilize it well.

Sasuke leaned against the stone wall, right across from the prisoner who sat there like a pitiful doll. He saw the tiniest twitch escape from the prisoner's feeble, yet incredibly pale hands. And if he wasn't mistaken, it looked like snakeskin. Drying, dead, snakeskin.

A smirk formed across Sasuke's face.

"It's been over ten years... Kabuto."

* * *

><p>OOHHHH CLIFFIE! THATS RIGHT I DID IT AGAIN! (omg im hella obnoxious in this chappie XD)<p>

Well, now you know who the kidnapper was. I think a few of you got it before this chapter, but I couldn't tell you guys! I hope I didn't make it too obvious. I would do commentary, but I have to get back to college apps and AP classes again. I hope you guys don't mind.

Until next chapter guys! Thanks for all of you guys for sticking to this story for so long! I know updating has been lagging, but its senior year. Please understand me :O


	14. The Enemy

Chapter 13: The Enemy

Hey guys! Tennis season is officially over! I'm so proud of my team. Anyhoo, I found some free time to write up this story. I really do need to work on fixing mistakes. There's always a few I miss, but honestly, that's because I'm so busy with college apps and AP classes that when I write this during my free time, I get tired and sleepy. It's hard to work on fanfiction when I'm fully alert after exhausting myself.

So I was reading through the reviews and I noticed that a lot of you guys want more attention on Kimiko and Kenji, saying that Sousuke hogs it too much. I don't really know how to respond to this except that I warned you guys my major focus was Sousuke in this story. I will put them up more and more as the story goes along, but honestly, the story is based around Sousuke more. I can't develop Kimiko and Kenji without the oldest first; that's my aim. The purpose of this story came from the idea of what it must be like to be the the eldest Uchiha son at the same age that Sasuke was off plotting revenge against Konoha. I wanted to write a story of what that the comparisons must be like. I hope this doesn't displease you guys, but their time will come. Sousuke will just be first.

Hopefully, you guys will enjoy this chapter! It's not as long as the last few, so that might make things more relaxing. Next update prediction? Maybe around Thanksgiving break to December. I really need to work on college apps so fanfiction will have to be put on hold for a while. Thanks for always encouraging me to stick to school instead of fanfiction, guys! It means a lot to me :)

* * *

><p>The hospital was usually a very safe haven for the eldest Uchiha. The nurses and doctors were very kind; the patients, interesting. Plus he used to explore it as if it was a castle. In his childhood, he enjoyed visiting here everyday to see his mother take care of all the patients. Watching his mother heal the village and make them smile had granted Sousuke a small-time wish of being a medic-nin. If it wasn't for his chakra control, he probably would have ended up just like his mother. Regardless, he still learned a decent lesson from his mother about medical ninjutsu even if it's just to find the enemy's certain weak points by studying their anatomy.<p>

Except, he did not like being stuck in the hospital today. Not when two, evil-grinning teenage girls sat on both opposite sides of his bed.

He knew what was coming in 5...4...3...2...1...

"I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE YOU SNUCK OUT TO SEE SHIKANA!" Kimiko yelled excitedly as she punched Sousuke in the shoulder playfullly.

"IT'S SO ROMANTIC AND UNLIKE YOU!" Nanako squealed giddily, pinching Sousuke's cheek.

"What am I, the little doll?" Sousuke muttered in an annoyed tone. Of course, the girls ignored.

"So, did you confess your love?"

"Did you two kiss?"

"What did her father say?"

"Oh my god, that was your first kiss right?"

"What if you two get married?"

"THEN SHE'LL BE THE ONLY GIRL YOU EVER KISSED, YOU LOSER!"

"BUT THAT'S NOT SAD, KIMI-CHAN, THAT'S REALLY SWEET FOR ETERNAL LOVE!"

"NANAKO, YOU MAKE IT SOUND LIKE A FAIRY TALE!"

"AHHHHH A KONOHA FAIRY TALE!"

Sousuke wished his best friend Koji was here; at least, he would be around some type of testosterone. He sighed.

"We didn't kiss. Why would you assume that?" Sousuke sighed.

"BAKA!" Both girls screeched, simultaneously punching his arm. Sousuke rubbed them meekly, cowering under the girls' annoyed glares.

"Are you really that clueless to how Shikana feels about you?" Nanako pouted disappointedly.

"Sou ya! We're all waiting for you to take her out on a date! Don't be like otousan and do stupid stuff like never take her out to dinner!" Kimiko scowled.

"Wait, did you find anything for their anniversary yet?" Sousuke asked in a panicked tone. He had nearly forgotten everything about that. If it wasn't for him getting captured so easily, they would have finished this business days ago.

Frowning, Kimiko let out an exasperated sigh. "Unless we're gonna steal the stars from the sky and put them in a jar, I got nothing from the old man."

"It's fine, Kimi. We'll come up with something," Sousuke reassured her.

"But it's tomorrow, niisan! If we don't do something, it's going to be a pretty miserable 20th anni-"

"Pancakes."

It had came out so suddenly from Sousuke's lips. Even he himself didn't expect to suggest such a simple and easy present. Mind trick or not, he swore he could smell the maple syrup mixed with the warmness of the flour. The scent pleased him, smiling inwardly. He noticed the girls' confusing looks, so he merely shrugged.

"Well, when you think about it, it's sweet to wake up to someone making pancakes for you, but otousan's hopeless at cooking. Also, they probably want to sleep in a bit so we should get up early and make pancakes for them. Wouldn't that be nice for a change?"

Kimiko and Nanako stared at Sousuke curiously, yet full of shock.

"Oh my god, you totally want Shikana to make pancakes for you."

"Dreaming of her in the kitchen in a cute apron, aren't you?"

"With your babies jumping up and down on you guys."

"OH MY GOD SOUSUKE-NII AND SHIKANA WOULD MAKE SUPER CUTE BABIES!"

Today, the hospital was not a happy place for him. At all.

* * *

><p>Perfection: That's what Kenji thought when he finished making the flower headband. A huge smile spread across his cheeky face. Realizing that his red-headed friend was too busy plucking out grass to make her own doll, an idea sprung in his head.<p>

Quickly, he hid the flower headband behind his back, winking at his bunny Pochi.

"Nah, Chihiro-chan! Close your eyes!"

Chihiro looked up, startled, blinking rapidly.

"Eh?" She replied in naive confusion.

"Trust me! Close your eyes! I have a surprise!" Kenji begged, pouting.

"Erm, o-okay," Chihiro nodded willing, covering her bright, green eyes with her hands.

Gently, Kenji placed the band around her head, making sure not a single petal was out of place. He adjusted it accordingly so that it framed his friend well. When he was content with what he saw, he backed and sat down on the grassy field.

"Open them!" He exclaimed in delight.

Chihiro listened and looked up when she felt the foreign object placed on top of her head. Her face reddened immediately, matching the color of her hair.

"K-K-Kenji-k-kun, w-w-what-"

"Ah, you look like a princess now!" Kenji laughed. "Oneechan said girls like to be princesses, so I made you a crown! It's not gold because I don't have any and I don't know how to do that, but I saw oneechan making this once and she said how it would be nice if a boy made it for her and oniichan laughed at her and she got mad so she made this huge chidori and he ran! Do you like it?"

Nervously, she nodded. "T-T-Thank you, Kenji-kun. It's really pretty."

"Really? I'm so happy! Hey, do you wanna go to the creek tomorrow! I went there one time with oniichan and we found baby alligators! They don't bite because they're babies, but we can play with them! Wanna do it tomorrow? Please, Chihiro-chan?"

Suddenly, Chihiro's face fell. Kenji raised an eyebrow, not used to the sudden gloomy sensation going through his throat.

"Ne, Chihiro-chan, what's wrong?" He asked, extremely worried.

"Actually, Kenji-kun..." Chihiro bit her lips. "...I'm going back to Suna tomorrow with my family."

Kenji's jaw dropped.

"WHAT?" He screeched loudly enough for the whole village to hear. This revelation surprised him. Out of instincts, his hands reached for Chihiro's shoulders.

"YOU CAN'T LEAVE NO YOU CAN'T! YOU JUST GOT HERE LIKE...YESTERDAY!" Kenji wailed to the point of tears as he shook Chihiro back and forth, making her dizzy. "WHO AM I GOING TO PLAY WITH NOW? ONEECHAN AND ONIISAN HAVE MISSIONS! CHOMARU-SENPAI AND GAITO-SENPAI GO TO THE ACADEMY EVERYDAY! NANAKO-NEE IS ALWAYS WORKING AT THE HOSPITAL! POCHI TAKES TOO MANY NAPS! AND I DON'T START THE ACADEMY UNTIL NEXT YEAR! WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITHOUT YOU?"

"Gomen, Kenji-kun. I-I-I wish I could stay longer, but I have to go home. I'll miss you a lot," Chihiro replied, her eyes saddening. "W-We'll write letters right?"

Apparently, Kenji did not listen. Rather, he continued to ramble on. He had his arms crossed against his chest, his black eyes concentrated on the sky as if he was thinking real deeply, cheeks puffed.

"-I could go visit you everyday if I used my otousan's summoning hawks. His birds are huge. Demo, they're really scary so I don't know if I can ride them. I like niisan's eagles more because they're nice to me but they always get hungry and start eating squirrels, which is creepy because I like squirrels and don't want them dead. Oneechan has swans, which are really pretty and white and big, but they make weird noises and complain too much. Okaasan's slugs like me the most, so I can ride on them, but they're really, really, really slow so it'll take me a billion years to get there. Oh, where's Suna? What's it like there? Is it like Konoha? If it is, WHY DON'T YOU JUST LIVE HERE? THEN WE CAN PLAY EVERYDAY AND IT'LL JUST BE THE SAME THING, NE NE NE?"

His eyes had widened to the size of golf balls, waiting for Chihiro to respond. His eyes were brimming with tears, trying to hold them back as possible as he clutched onto Pochi the bunny. Then, Chihiro smiled brightly.

"Kenji-kun, thank you for being my friend in Konohagakure," she said softly. "I promise we'll see each other. Please?"

She poked out her pinky finger, pushing it to Kenji. Then, his face lit up as a huge smile replaced his former pouty mood. He entwined Chihiro's pinky with his tightly, holding to a promise that they refuse to let go.

"That's a promise, Chihiro-chan! Always!"

* * *

><p>The point of desperation was near. It wasn't looking good. Not at all.<p>

She must have passed by at least a dozen stores that specialized in couples. She had walked aimlessly down the aisles, just searching for the perfect gift. There may have been delicate china or intricately-crafted glass statues, but none seem to scream out her parents. They were such a strange couple, and she often wondered how they ended up together despite their supposed romantic endeavors.

And now she found herself pacing around the village, with no anniversary present in her hands.

"Mou, why did niisan have to be so stupid and get attacked like that?" Kimiko pouted, suddenly pissed at the current situation. "Leaving me to do all the dirty work. Bet he loves being mommy's boy, sitting in the hospital, having Shikana visit him and feed him all cutesy...Maybe gimme some cute nephews and nieces while they're at it..."

"Kimiko?" She looked up when she heard her name from that deep, familiar voice. A small blush ran across her cheeks as she turned around.

Hyuuga Koji waved from across the street, smiling. He quickly hurried up to her as she battled within her mind on what to do. Out of all the days she saw the damn boy, why did it have to be the day she forgot to put on concealer to cover up those hideous dark circles under her eyes? She had to remember to blame Sousuke for making her worry about the stupid anniversary gift. Not to mention, all the stress from this week made her forget to wash her hair for the past three days.

_If this was any other idiotic boy, I wouldn't give a crap but DAMNIT WHY HIM? THIS IS UNFORGIVABLE! HOW DID I LET THIS HAPPEN?_ Kimiko whined to herself before recuperating.

"K-K-Koji-kun! Konnichiwa!" She greeted quickly, quickly washing away the blush on her face. That would have been very uncool on her part. "Why are you here? I thought you would be hanging out with oniisan now."

"I should say the same about you. But to answer your question, I kept annoying him about sneaking out to Shikana and I thought he was going to pull a murder genjutsu on me" Koji replied, grinning playfully.

"Heh, did you figure out if they kissed? That would have been legendary."

"Nah, you know he likes to take his time."

"Oh please, more like he sucks with girls," Kimiko scowled, earning a chuckle from Koji. She raised an eyebrow, which Koji immediately noticed.

"I've always found it funny how you're the only person Sousuke allows to make fun of him," he said.

"Well somebody has to!" Kimiko shot back crossing her arms. "Everybody's always gloating about how wonderful and strong and nice he is! He's actually mean to me! He always makes me do his chores even when he's not on a mission! Nice boy, my ass."

"That's because he loves his little sister so much," Koji replied softly. "Plus, you are the one he's trusting with your parents' anniversary gift, am I wrong? He's not an easy guy to win trust from, family or no."

Slowly, a smile spread across the hard face of Uchiha Kimiko. Her cheeks warmed slightly, but she refused to hide her happiness. She had been irritated all afternoon but now, everything just seem brighter and possible to happen.

"That's right..." She still was the one capable enough for this.

Suddenly, her steps faltered when her eyes caught interest on a crystal statue behind a window. Shaped into two entwining doves, the statue glimmered beautifully.

_Doves represent love and marriage.._.Kimiko smiled, wondering if this was the gift for her parents.

"It's so cute..." she sighed dreamily. She could imagine how happy her mother with such a precious gift. Kimiko knew they could afford it because Sousuke's jonin missions brought home loads of money, considering her dangerous it was. She knew her mother loved these types of things.

Then, Kimiko pouted in frustration. "But otousan would break it with chidori 'cause birds so dumb to him. Honestly, that man is hopeless. Come on, Hyuuga, we gotta finish this before niisan gets better."

Onward, the Uchiha heiress walked, refusing to give up on the family mission she had appointed herself to, displeased with everything she saw in view. And trailing not far behind her, Hyuuga Koji chuckled.

And across the street, sitting silently at a cafe, her mother chuckled to herself. She had seen her own daughter not too long ago, but decided to amuse herself by watching Kimiko frantically find their perfect anniversary gift, which strangely, was proving to be hard.

Sakura took a closer look at what her daughter was just staring at, and smiled instantly at the crystal statue of turtle doves for the window display. Strange, she could have sworn she saw the same one nearly twenty years ago.

_She was only 18 then, just having some time to herself after the busy weeks of the hospital. Not to mention, her second anniversary was coming up soon as well. She wondered what she would get for Sasuke, whether she should cook for him this time since he did it already (not to mention, she wanted to avoid his horrible eggs). As a matter of fact, considering this was Sasuke, she grew curious of what he was up to._

_But the curiosity was placed on hold when evening came. Knowing that Naruto dragged Sasuke to hang out with him the whole day, Sakura took it upon herself to do some shopping for herself. She needed some alone time just for herself to relax._

_But then, she passed by two very familiar figures, people she was 100% sure should be crouched at Ichiraku's, but instead, were staring at a window display._

_Naruto was pointing at a crystal figurine of two birds, appearing just like turtledoves while Sasuke stared at it with an unreadable expression._

_Sakura raised an eyebrow, suddenly intrigued. She knew her boyfriend Sasuke had very few interests in life aside from training, so this was startling. Luckily, she never had to get close since Naruto was always so loud._

_"Ano sa, ano sa, teme! __You should totally get this for Sakura-chan! She'll love it!" Naruto suggested excitedly. "We've been at it for hours! This is so shiny and pretty! It's the one, Sasuke!"_

_She remembered her heart feeling wrapped tightly at this small discovery. And a smile dawned her face. She knew Sasuke always had difficulty trying to make this relationship work; he could never really open up nor express his feelings well. It was wrong of her to intrude on this moment between the boys, but she couldn't help but feel warm knowing that Sasuke still tried. She didn't know whether Sasuke actually wanted this or if Naruto had encouraged him, but at least he was willing._

_And not many people could handle just knowing that fact, but Haruno Sakura was not like many people._

_Except, she did feel her temper boiling when she heard her boyfriend utter the next words, filled with contempt:_

_"Dobe, that's fucking dumb. Only stupid girls want that."_

_And Sasuke wondered why he came home to a fuming Sakura that night._

Sakura giggled again, the scene still fresh in her memories.

"Kimiko definitely knows her father well..." She mused to herself, sipping her white tea.

Of course, she had gotten well over it. Sasuke never did get it for her; instead, he cooked again, this time pancakes. Usually, Sakura would be delighted if a boy made pancakes for her but because this was Uchiha Sasuke who couldn't do anything but train and defeat powerful ninjas, she had to survive the potential of food poisoning. Nonetheless, this was an achievement for him, and Sakura celebrated it dearly.

_Either way, he did make up for it later,_ Sakura thought, staring at the wedding band around her ring finger.

* * *

><p>Kabuto's hood drifted to the side of his head as he looked up. His yellow eyes were dull, as if marred by time. The man possessed no wrinkles, but his rough snake scales were no longer a snow white, but grey, peeling off any minute. Sasuke couldn't tell if the man's lips were dried, or if he dares to assume, existed no more but simply a crease on his face. Kabuto's hands fidgeted, probably from Sousuke breaking his limbs to no return.<p>

There was no point to withdrawing charkra from a man who didn't know when to give up, Sasuke believed. Kabuto was a dying man who was too stubborn to face his destiny.

And then, a scratchy chuckle escaped from Kabuto.

"Sssssassssukkke-kkuunnnn...my time been well on yyyoouuu..." Kabuto hissed. "...and your sssooonnnn...unlike any Uchiha of the passsssttt..."

Sasuke tightened a fist. The only reason he wasn't punching the crap out of Kabuto was because Naruto told him never to torture hostages. Shame he couldn't use his fame as the second-most powerful ninja in the village to good use. "You are damn lucky my son's so forgiving. Otherwise, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"And what would yyyoooouuu have done? Kill me at the sssppppooot?"

"Don't tempt me," Sasuke's voice darkened. He made sure Kabuto saw how dangerously close Sasuke's hand was to the hilt of his sword, ready to draw in a split second.

"You've got a lot of guts going after my son. Couldn't stand failing the first time?"

Sasuke eyed closely as he saw Kabuto's left arm shake violently, unstable and unusual. Even Kabuto appeared unease by this movement. He hissed painfully until it calmed down. His arm looked incredibly frail. Sasuke analyzed it closely, trying to come up with why it was happening.

And then, he smirked.

"Or maybe you need his eyes to keep yourself from growing old."

Kabuto cackled, yet it was scratchy. He sounded ill; figures, he looked the part.

"Kukukuku...ssssssooooo you've alwaysssss known why I've been affffter himmmm..."

It was then that Kabuto slowly pulled his hood down, revealing the full consequences of the past 20 years. And Sasuke stood still, feigning calmness at the horror that presented himself right at the moment.

Kabuto's whole head, from chin to his scalp, was nearly bald, with few white strands hanging from the sides like dead wires. The scaliness was enough to scare any little child, day or night. Combined with the yellow eyes, he looked like an overgrown albino snake far past his time. Sasuke noticed some clear, patterned skin peeling off from Kabuto's cheeks, ripped at the corners. His nose was now replaced by two, tiny slits. To Sasuke, the man barely looked human anymore.

He lifted his shaking arm, struggling to control it, as if in a fight with his own body.

"My boooody...can barely contain Oroooochimaruuuu anymore..." Kabuto explained. "My powers are ssssssslowly drained by his soul, and in time, he sssssshalll take over meeee...I require the sssssharingan to control the ssssnake basssstard...going afffter you would beeee pointless, but Ssssousuke-kunnn….he wassss ssso weak and helplesssss back then..."

Sasuke's face hardened, the lines growing prominent on his face. He clutched the hilt of his sword tightly, possibly conceiving bruises on his palms. He learned over the years to contain his anger, but never properly. He wasn't above letting his enemies know never to anger an Uchiha.

"He ssshhhould have beeeeen in my hands yearssss ago...but you came and ruined everythiiiing...Now, Sassssuke-kun, how did he turn out to be sssuch a fine boy...who sssshould have ssssuffer far worsssse than you ever had?"

"For the same reason I never went after you," Sasuke answered quickly. "To raise him with Sakura."

At this, Kabuto grinned. "Ah yesss...I've alwayssss wondered why you didn't...You once ssssworn to your lovely wife that you would never let revenge take over again...and iffff I remember, you broke it...how doesss sshe sssstill trust you, Sssassssuke-kun?"

"Still expect me to be the same, immature brat I was?" Sasuke scoffed. It was very tempting to choke the poor bastard for mentioning Sakura; he never liked it when enemies said her name. It brought back more haunting memories than Sasuke wanted, memories he thought were long buried in the past. And sometimes, when they said her name, he heard tears dropping in the distant.

"You think I'm going to leave my family for the pathetic likes of you when I know very well what it's like to grow up without parents? I refused to leave Sakura alone to raise them. As much as I wanted to rip your neck for just seeing my son, I stayed back to train them. And I sure as hell didn't make it easy on them. They hate me for it, but at least when they're in danger, I know they can protect each other if I'm not around."

Sasuke didn't even give Kabuto any room to speak up. In fact, Kabuto didn't even try. Sasuke's face had suddenly darkened, almost satan-like. The scariest part: Sasuke didn't even have his sharingan on. And Kabuto wondered when Sasuke would activate out of pure rage from keeping his anger dormant of ten years to this man.

"You wanna know why you failed getting Sousuke the _second_ time? It's because you think he's me all over again. You think he'll be power-hungry and rash like I was. You think he would be easy to manipulate like I was. He's not. He's heart is too pure for your kind to control. He will never bend to you. He knows better than I did at his age. That boy knows what's important to him and he'll fight for it. He always keeps his promises and if he breaks then, he's strong enough to admit. You can't beat his morals with your shameful ideals.

"Not to mention..." Sasuke forced out a victorious smirk. "...he managed to break every bone in your body with only a fraction of his charkra." As if that alone didn't say enough about his own son. Truly, Kabuto was messing with the wrong kid, Uchiha or not.

But to Sasuke's surprise, Kabuto's grin did not disappear. In fact, it seem to grow more sinister than earlier.

"Aaaahhhh but Ssssasssssuke-kuuunn...iffff I recaallll, he'sss not the only boy with the potential for those eyesssss."

* * *

><p>An eery sting suddenly came across Kenji. He shuddered, feeling as if a strong gust of wind had bypassed him, yet the leaves on the trees didn't move at all. Nor did the grass on the ground. He slowly glanced over his shoulder, too scared to know if anything was lurking behind them.<p>

Nothing. No sign up anything, or anybody. And yet, Kenji couldn't relax.

Noticing Kenji's odd behavior, Chihiro grew worried.

"K-Kenji-kun? What's wrong?"

Kenji turned around, slightly nerved by Chihiro's expression. He stood up abruptly and grabbed Chihiro's hand, oblivious to her face reddening all over again. He dragged her away from the fields, rather quickly, and not looking back.

"W-We should go home. I-It's getting late," Kenji muttered nervously, gulping.

"But i-it's only the afternoon," Chihiro reminded him. "Kenji-kun, is everything okay? Is something the matter?"

It hadn't left him yet, that strange feeling that somebody was following them. It wasn't near, but it definitely wasn't far. Somebody was coming, but Kenji didn't know who. And he didn't want to find out, let alone Chihiro. The last thing he wanted was for her to feel unsafe when he was around.

The closer he felt them coming, the faster he sped up their pace. Within a few seconds, he felt as if he was running already, dragging Chihiro to be nearly out of her breath.

He heard the leaves rustle suddenly in one tree, then another. A flash of black barely entered Kenji's mind as he glanced back and forth.

Kenji barely stopped in time, blocking Chihiro from going any further when a big, cloaked ninja landed right in front of them. The ground shook when the mysterious ninja landed in such an impact that the two kids could barely stand still. The ninja looked up, his lower face covered by metal, just like his metal gauntlet. Several others surrounded the two children, all wearing identical cloaks. Still, the all shared the same familiar forehead protector: the music note.

Then, Kenji knew: the enemies were here. Sound had intruded into the village.

He felt Chihiro tug the back of his shirt gently as she buried her face to his back, scared. Kenji gulped, stepping back the center, holding both hands out in a sad attempt to cover Chihiro from their view.

"W-W-What do y-y-you want?" Kenji tried to sound brave and tough, like how his older brother and father were, but he thought he came out weak and childish.

The ninja, apparently the leader, chuckled, his voice echoeing through his metal plate.

"Say bye-bye to your dear village, little baby Uchiha," the ninja cackled in deep breaths.

Metal hands thrust forward to the frightened children, the ninja lunged straight at them.

* * *

><p>Sasuke's scoff echoed across the dark, stone room. In fact, he sounded as if this was the first moment of the interrogation where he was simply enjoying it.<p>

A gloved hand covered half of Sasuke's face as his scoff quickly turned into a dark chuckle. Sasuke shook his head back and forth, as if in disappointment of a young child stealing. Kabuto looked insulted.

"My boy must have seriously knocked your head real hard," Sasuke lifted his hand off from his face, his piercing black eyes glaring straight at Kabuto. And yet, below was his infamous smirk.

"You forget that Sousuke isn't the only kid I trained, Kabuto," Sasuke stated sternly. "The other two aren't as pathetic as you think.

"Had you even _dare_ capture my stubborn-as-hell daughter Kimiko instead, she would have crushed your skull with only her fingers. Sousuke is clearly better than her, but he's smart enough not to engage into a taijutsu fight with her. I made sure that girl was capable of producing the chidori more times than her own brother could do if he was ever in trouble. She acts rashly and doesn't think straight, but that's when you don't want to mess with her.

"And Kenji? He's probably the stupidest kid in the village next to Naruto, but you can't deceive him. He doesn't realize that not only can he detect charkra scents from miles away, but whether they're good or bad. He can feel when somebody's a threat to him. No funny tricks are going to work on him.

"In other words..." And his Kusunagi escaped its sheath.

* * *

><p>From the hospital, Sousuke suddenly went rigid, the book dropping from his hands. He flipped his blanket to the other side of the room, darting his eyes right to the window. Immediately, he jumped off, running roof to roof.<p>

From the streets of the Konohagakure, Kimiko gasped in horror. She stopped staring at the stores and turned on her heel, dashing toward the strange omen she just felt, leaving a very clueless Koji.

From two different places, a pair of blood-red sharingan activated on their wielders, the two teenage Uchihas. The two Uchihas who would soon become the next defenders for not only their clan, but for their generation, and the one after.

But for now, as they sped to the same destination, they only had one person on their mind.

_Kenji!_

* * *

><p>In a split-second, the blade was directed straight at Kabuto. The tip barely grazed the neck, but no cut was made. Kabuto sat incredibly frozen from Sasuke's sudden move. He looked up, eyes widening at the sight of the flaming Sharingan glaring right through him. Sometimes, just being in the same room as Uchiha Sasuke was death already; Kabuto was just unlucky.<p>

"Never mess with my family."

* * *

><p>Kenji stared, wide-eyed in amazement, as a figure came out of nowhere and gave the Sound ninja a round-kick straight to the face.<p>

The Sound ninja flew right into the tree, causing the trunk to bend inward, knocked unconscious. Kenji could have sworn the loud cracking noise, erupting throughout the forest, was the sound of bones breaking from the ninja's body. Following the trail, he saw the enemy limp against a torn-down tree trunk, barely able to move. Their savior landed on the ground softly, barely any sound made, taking a stance right in front of the two kids.

_W-What just happened?_

He couldn't think about how this person knew his whereabouts nor the situation. He couldn't contemplate on the amazement he just saw. All he could stare at was the black hair flowing back and forth with the winds, the Uchiha clan symbol crested on the back.


	15. Tied Together

Chapter 14: Tied Together...

OMG you guys are amazing. There's nothing like waking up the next morning to 30 reviews of this chapter! I haven't seen that before, and it made me so happy, I could cry. Actually, I got a lot of free time the end of the week so I decided to write up another chapter while I still have the chance! I had planned to extend it but figuring that long chapters are such a hassle to do, I decided to end it shorter than expected. Don't worry; the next chappie will make up for it once you finish this one.

I'm sorry, but how do you guys still love it despite my horrible grammar/spelling mistakes? My journalism advisor would be ashamed of me, seriously! I can track them everybody's mistakes like a maniac but apparently, I learned why it's hard for me to edit alone according to psychology class. My teacher said that you edit things according to your expectations, so when you see a spelling mistake, your brain automatically sees it as correct since that's what you expect, so you skip it. Other people can easily find it because they aren't expecting a perfect draft, but rather, the mistakes themselves. Simple, huh?

I really am thinking of using beta readers, but that takes too much time and I like to update ASAP now that I have college apps to worry about. Would you guys mind waiting the extra time for me to fix my mistakes? Or should I just finish this story first, then do it for another one? I mean, I like 3/4 done with this story just a heads up. Okay, ENJOY!

* * *

><p>"Who the fuck do you think you are?" Kimiko snarled.<p>

With a free hand, she pulled Kenji and his friend Chihiro away from the enemies' view. They had backed up against a tree, completely surrounded by Sound ninjas. Kimiko's black eyes scanned the area, six ninjas overall. She glared at each and every one of them, filled with menace and hatred.

Right behind Kimiko, Kenji looked on nervously and took a huge gulp.

"O-O-Oneechan, s-s-sorry, I-I d-didn't..." Kenji couldn't finish his thought.

"First, you mess with niisan, now Kenji? Are you guys begging for a death wish?" Kimiko shouted furiously. She couldn't believe the chances of this happening. Sound was at it again, and she had no idea why. All she knew was that they were after her brothers, and there was no way in hell she was going to let that happen.

One of the Sound ninjas pulled out a dagger, positioning it dangerously close. "Step aside; we have no need for Uchiha women."

"How dumb can you get? I am not going to let you take my own brother! Not when I'm here!" They had no idea how dead serious she was.

Simultaneously, they all chuckled with delight. She was near her boiling temper; she was so close.

"A bad ninja tries to hide his flaws by talking loudly," one ninja stated as he stepped closer to Kimiko, stopping only an inch away from her face. "Sound familiar?"

In a second, when his mouth was supposed to release a laugh, it instead was replaced with the cry of pain. His body flew backwards, his nose bleeding immensely. Kimiko dropped her fist, bringing it back into an offensive stance. She was beyond her limit. There was no turning back, especially with her blood-red sharingan activated.

"Kenji, stay back. I'll take care of this," Kimiko whispered harshly, not even glancing back.

Another ninja gritted his teeth, pulling out shurikens from his pouch. "Come here, ya snotty kid-"

"I AM FREAKING 16! THAT IS NOT A KID!" Kimiko screeched, fly-kicking him straight in the face.

Unfortunately for him, the brutal force of the kick was not enough to satisfy Kimiko. Before the ninja fell the ground, Kimiko added more pain by elbowing him, causing him to fly back into another one. She smirked; there was nothing like killing two birds with one stone.

But she couldn't enjoy very long. A chakra had snuck up on her. Quickly, she whipped her head around, noticing another Sound ninja behind, aiming a sword right at her. She dodged immediately, the blade barely missing, and jumped backwards while forming hand seals. She landed back on the ground, positioning herself in a firm spot. At the moment, two fingers went by her lips as she blew a volley of fireballs from her mouth. They flew rapidly, aiming straight at the Sound ninjas.

They all avoided it with ease. Three charged straight at her, angering Kimiko immensely. She wasn't used to fighting multiple opponents of such strength, especially all by herself.

Even worse, one of them was heading straight to Kenji and his friend. Kimiko cursed.

_Damnit, I have to get them away_, she thought as she pulled a few kunais from her pouch.

With her free hand, she balled it into a fist and smacked the ground, causing it to shake violently. All of them flipped backwards to avoid the fall, but instead, were met with a wave of kunai attacking them. Curses echoed through the forest as the kunais cut through their skin, creating deep wounds. One stubborn ninja managed to escape, straight above of her. Kimiko's eyes widened when she realized he had dropped at least ten kunais, explosive tags attached to each one of them.

"Shit-" All the kunais landed, forming a ball of explosion and gas where Kimiko was. A booming noise erupted, ruffling the leaves. It was impossible for anybody to ignore, and yet, nobody could have survived the blast.

Kenji stared on, eyes wide on horror. He felt his knees weaken and was ready to drop until he saw the smoke disappear, revealing shattered pieces of wood falling to the ground.

_That was...Replacement Technique?_ Kenji thought. He didn't even see his sister perform the hand seals.

"Shishi Rendan!"

A loud, cracking noise was heard above. Kenji looked up, smiling widely in relief as he saw his older sister land a powerful kick on the Sound ninja's stomach. The enemy flew straight down to the ground, the force creating a huge crater where he landed. Kimiko followed swiftly, landing perfectly. She examined herself, frowning at the slightest wounds and burns she took from the explosion. Even if she escaped, she certainly didn't leave unharmed. Either way, she couldn't let the small wounds get in her way.

She turned around, glaring at the unconscious body in the crater. Blood trickled down from the scalp, just what he deserved.

"Tch, that's what you get for playing dirty," Kimiko spat.

But calmness did not come. Instead, chills were sent to Kimiko's skin as she heard a blade quickly withdrawn, followed by a girl's whimpering.

"Hand over the boy or else she goes," the Sound ninja threatened dangerously, pressing a dagger extremely close to Chihiro's neck. He gripped her small hand tightly, causing tears to run around her green eyes.

"K-K-Kenji-k-kun," Chihiro cried softly.

Kimiko stomped angrily, pulling an extra kunai up. "You son of a bitch! Get your nasty hands off that girl before I-"

"Chihiro-chan!" Kenji screamed, running straight to her. "Let her go!"

Horrified, Kimiko reached out to her little brother. "Kenji, you idiot, get back he-"

Kimiko choked as she felt a force pounding on her stomach. One of them had punched her hard, making her fall down to her knees.

"Oneechan!" Kenji cried, glancing back and forth between Chihiro and his sister, unsure of which direction he should go.

Kimiko coughed up blood, the red liquid dripping from her mouth as she tried to regain her composure. Clutching her stomach, she tried to recuperate from the blow.

"I-I'm okay, Kenji..." Her voice was strained. "D-Don't listen t-to them...I-I'll p-protect y-you g-guys..."

She held in a scream when she felt another kick to her back, smacking her right into the ground. The Sound ninja took an extra stomp, rendering her unable to move. She choked again, wincing in pain. Just as she was about to flip and punch the man's guts, she hesitated when he bended incredibly low, a kunai to her neck.

"What now? Are you going to let your friend and sister die for you?" The other one cackled at Kenji.

And Kimiko felt her heart breaking at the scene before her: Kenji started crying immensely, nerved by his decisions. He was extremely frightened, unable to remain calm, his body shaking. His shoulders crouched as his eyes wandered back and forth between the two girls, Chihiro and Kimiko. He gulped hard.

"I-I-I-I...d-d-don't k-know...O-O-Oneechan...C-C-Chihiro-chan..." Kenji whimpered.

She couldn't believe this. She knew what was going on with Kenji, the sense of weakness, the sense of helplessness.

Just like she felt back with Sousuke.

They were only kids back then, toddlers at the most. Something had happened to her brother and he was never the same again. It was a dark time for the whole family, yet Kimiko knew nothing about it. Sure, he was nice, respectful, and caring, but something had happened that changed him completely. Kimiko had once remembered a bright, happy, fun-loving boy Sousuke used to be.

He used to be so free-spirited. But then, the mysterious happened and he suddenly became distant from everybody, even her, his own sister. The phase had disappeared, but the impact had already taken course. Now, he was cautious and suspicious of everything. He always had that fake smiling, telling everybody he was okay when he wasn't. His relaxed, serene face was sometimes just a persona to hide his anger over something Kimiko could never pinpoint. It was to the point that she could no longer tell whether he was truly happy or feigning it.

He had a built a wall, breakable to only a select few. He was just too good at it. Maybe that's why she taunted him regularly. Not because it was a little sister job, but just so she could get some genuine reaction from him, some bickering to show that he was still the big brother he was, that all the dangerous missions hadn't taken a toll on him. She didn't want him to act just how their father was in the past.

She never knew what had happened, but she wished she did. Maybe then, she could have helped her brother. She wouldn't be feeling this guilt and regret of being so helpless to her own brother if she was strong enough. And she sure as hell did not want Kenji to feel the same away either.

_No, not this time, never again..._

"How dare you sink so low..." Her fist balled up tightly, gripping the grass on the ground. "...to threaten a child like this..."

She twirled her leg around, giving the Sound ninja a round kick to his ankles. Taking advantage of the fall, Kimiko rolled to her side, and then stood up instantly as she rapidly performed hand signs. She stretched out her right hand, directly to the ground as she concentrated chakra to her palm.

"There's always these crapbags who always go after my brothers..." The noise of chirping birds erupted from her hands.

"Thinking they're weapons for war just because they're Uchihas..." The blue, electrical current sparked furiously.

"Otousan said I'm ignored since girls can't pass down the sharingan...an age-old jutsu shuts it from enemies if they find me dead..." She gritted through her teeth. Her jutsu was near completely, almost overwhelming her own body. "People say I have it easy because of that, but...that doesn't mean I can step aside and watch this happen..."

Her eyes flared up, the black tomoes of her sharingan swirling frantically. Her chidori had grown tenfold; nearly triple the size of a human head. She pulled it back and with one step, took flight, charging for them.

"I WILL BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF YOU GUYS FOR MESSING WITH MY BROTHERS!"

At nearly god-like speed, she launched the chidori straight at the ninja's chest, electrocuting his whole body. His eyes went blood-shot, unable to handle the immense pain surging.

But it wasn't over. For when her chidori diminished, his body disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Her eyes widened in horror.

"H-H-How..." There was no way she could have missed it. She was sure that wasn't a clone. Had the ninja perform a replacement technique with his own clone while she charged up her jutsu? Either way, she should have seen her. She had trained her sharingan to detect everything in her surroundings, pushing herself to the limits to increase her visual field.

Her breath cut short when a metal gauntlet grabbed her neck, ramming her into a tree trunk. She was slammed brutally, causing leaves to fall. She choked loudly, desperate for air. Clutching onto the enemy's big hands, Kimiko used all her power left to free herself. The more she fought back, the tighter his grip went on her neck.

He chuckled in amusement. "Looks like you have a long way to go for an Uchiha. Might as well kill you than let you suffer for shaming your clan."

"But..." his dark eyes observed her features up and down, backing up to her face. There was this look of dark lust casting over his face. He licked his lips disgustingly, making Kimiko want to gag. "...I can't deny you certainly are an eye candy up close. I'm sure you can spare a few moments with me before your death, princess."

Enrage, Kimiko griped onto the Sound Ninja's hand with all her might, concentrating all her chakra to her palms for only chidori. "D-Damn you..."

She gasped when she saw the man's face elbowed by an incoming shadow. She was released from the Sound ninja's hold, sinking down to the ground immediately from pure shock. Her eyes widened at what just occurred. She never had to look for who her savior was.

All she had to hear was the deep, dark voice that she heard for the past 16 years of her life.

"Don't _ever_ touch my daughter, you sick bastard."

The blood-curdling scream echoed across the forest. It finally ended when she heard her father pull out his Kusunagi from the man's body, leaving him to fight for his breath. She perked up, glancing over to where Kenji and Chihiro were. They were safe from harm; Sasuke had defeated the ninjas that were holding onto the two kids. She could still hear them breathing. She raised an eyebrow, and then hesitantly looked over to where the damage just happened. Her face went aghast upon seeing her father's expression. It was dark and cold, almost murderous from pure rage. He looked even deadlier with the sharingan for his eyes.

Taking in a huge gulp, Kimiko only had one thought running through her head. _That's the scariest I-I've ever seen otousan..._

When she thought she could finally relax, she saw vague, dark shapes from the distant, enlarging as they came closer to her view. This couldn't be right. There were more Sound ninjas. All running directly behind her father's back, kunais with explosive tags ready in their hands. Then, they sped up their pace, aiming straight for Sasuke.

Out of pure instincts, Kimiko pulled out all the kunais she had, preparing to stop them. "Otousan! Behind yo-"

Within a second, the ground shook. Kimiko had barely caught the growing crack that split the ground from the afar. She hurried to Kenji and Chihiro, grabbing both of them in the process and escaped the earthquake b jumping to a nearby branch.

For the Sound ninjas, it was just unfortunate that they fell for it. They were toppled one by one, falling into the cracks. The ground not only split, but shattered into giant rocks, landing on each of the ninjas. Kimiko winced each time she heard somebody's ribcage break by the loud cracking noises. When the rumbling stopped, Kimiko glanced down briefly.

Standing motionless, Uchiha Sasuke had his arms crossed against his chest, a frown upon his face.

"You're supposed to be grocery shopping," he grunted.

"I thought you needed my help," replied a soothing voice.

Stepping into the view, Uchiha Sakura rubbed her bare hands, the dirt obvious on them from splitting the ground into two. She was her normal clothes for once, dressed in a flowing mid-length skirt and a red long-sleeved shirt, her hair tied loosely to the side. Kimiko was so used to her mother in the dowdy hospital uniform that she nearly forgotten how beautiful her mother could when outside her doctor duties. And to add it all up, she tied it all together with a graceful smile. That smile that was capable of bringing any man down with just the slightest touch of her finger. If Kimiko could break bones with her hands, then her mother could break bodies.

_W-Who am I kidding? Okaasan's ten times scarier than otousan could ever be..._

"Hn," came from Sasuke.

"You're welcome," Sakura teased, approaching her husband before shock took over. "Ah, where did the kids go? God, Sasuke-kun, please keep an eye on them for once!"

Sasuke glared at his wife in bewilderment, finishing with an annoyed scowl. Taking the safety cue (at last), Kimiko brought the two kids as she jumped back to the ground. She did a double-check for any injuries on their part before releasing them. She sighed in relief when no lasting damage was done to them. Chihiro didn't even suffer a cut from the blade so close to her neck, though her terrified expression had yet to disappear from her face.

Three figures suddenly appeared in the forest. The Kazekage and his siblings had arrived at the spot. For the first time, Kimiko could visibly see the worried look that rarely graced the Kazekage's face.

"Chihiro..." Gaara breathed, his voice strained.

"Otouchan!" She cried, running straight into her father's arms, tears falling into his shirt.

Kenji stared on, biting his lips, at Gaara wrapping his arms tightly around his daughter, shielding her away from any possible threat. Temari kneeled down, rubbing Chihiro on the back. He couldn't help but think to himself that if he had made one stupid mistake, this moment would be happening now.

"Chihiro-chan, don't ever leave without telling us again! You could have been hurt!" Temari sighed, still shocked from the incident.

"She's right! You gave us quite a scar, Chihiro-chan!" Kankuro admitted in a panicking tone.

Before Sasuke and Sakura could realize who had just arrived, another familiar voice distracted them, forcing them to turn to the opposite direction.

"Oi! Is everybody okay?"

All eyes concentrated to Sousuke, who was jumping like a maniac branch to branch to his family. When he landed on the ground, sweat poured from his whole body, his face somewhat tanner than before. He panted heavily like a dog on a summer's day.

"I-I felt Kenji in danger! What happened? Did anybody get hurt? I heard somebody scream! Kimiko, why are there bruises all over you? Kenji, were you crying earlier? You're eyes are really red! Who's the little girl? Never mind, somebody _please_ tell me what happened! What's with all the Sound ninjas? They're not dead, right? HOLY SHIT WHAT THE HELL ARE THEY DOING HERE?" And the questions rolled out of Sousuke's mouth rapidly, his worried tone exemplified with each new question.

Upon spotting her eldest son, Sakura immediately shrieked.

"What. Are. You. Doing. Outside. Of. The. Hospital. SOUSUKE! THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE! YOU ARE STILL INJURED FROM THE MISSIONS! AND DO NOT CURSE IN FRONT OF KENJI!"

"But o-o-okaasan, I'm fine! S-S-See, I'm ready to get out! AND HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT WHEN KIMIKO SWEARS A BILLION TIMES A DAY?"

"WHY ARE YOU BRINGING ME UP, SHITFACE?"

"DO YOU NOT SEE THIS HAPPENING?"

"DON'T MAKE EXCUSES! GET BACK TO THE HOSPITAL BEFORE I MAKE YOU! SASUKE-KUN, BACK ME UP HERE!"

"B-B-BUT I'M FINE! I'M SERIOUS! 'TOUSAN, P-PLEASE TELL HER I'M OKAY!"

"..." Sasuke's black eyes darted to the ground, suddenly finding it very interesting to stare at.

"OTOUSAN!"

"SASUKE-KUN!"

Sasuke cringed. "...Listen to your mother."

"WHAT? DON'T BE A COWARD, OLD MAN! HELP ME OUT HERE!"

"SOUSUKE, HOSPITAL, NOW!"

"B-B-BUT OKAAAASAAAAN-hm, Kenji?"

Sousuke had completely forgotten his argument with his mother upon noticing that Kenji had left his spot, walking slowly toward the mysteriously girl, who happened to be hugging the Kazekage in a warm embrace.

"Wait...Kazekage-sama..." Sousuke whispered, until his eyes widened when realizing the connection.

And on cue, with the exception of Kimiko, the Uchiha family stared at the scene in pure awe. Sakura gasped, a high-pitch noise followed. Sousuke's jaw dropped to the floor. Sasuke's eyes just widened slightly. Never in their dreams did they imagine Kenji's friend would be the one and only daughter of Gaara, the Kazekage. All of them turned to Kimiko, the only one that showed no reaction. She cowered away, knowing what was to come from her mother and brother.

"Um, K-Kimi, w-w-what is this?" Sousuke asked, pointing unsteadily to Gaara and Chihiro.

"W-when did _that_ happen?" Sakura pressed on, still unable to get over the revelation.

Kimiko only shrugged. In her defense, she really did not have a clue.

"Ano..." everybody's attention turned to Kenji's voice.

The whole family could not hide their shock of this sudden change for the youngest. He stood up as straight as he could, his hands strapped to their sides. For a moment, his eyes were concentrated on the grass, too nervous to look up to the Kazekage. Finally, he composed himself and breathed.

"I-I'm sorry f-for today," Kenji apologized meekly. "I-I was p-p-playing with Chihiro-chan when they came. I'm sorry for not doing anything. Um, I-I really like-"

Sousuke, Kimiko, and Sakura inched even closer; mouth gaped for what they expect would come.

"-playing with Chihiro-c-chan-" Aside from Sasuke, the whole Uchiha family moaned in disappointment.

"-so i-if it happens again, I promise to be s-stronger next time. W-when you come visit next time, I'll be stronger, definitely."

And even though he still looked like the frightened boy he still was, there was this determination obvious on Kenji's face that anybody could see. The nerves were still there, as his shoulders hunched slightly higher and his teeth biting his lips, but the confidence was enough to make one forget about the rest. He had a determination that Sasuke himself rarely found in other ninjas. Maybe even in himself.

A proud smirk snuck its way to Sasuke's face when he saw Gaara release Chihiro from his hold, only to grab Kenji on the shoulder. Kenji's eyes widened in surprise when a soft smile came to the Kazekage's usual, hard face.

"Thank you," Gaara said gently.

After a few seconds, Kenji smiled widely, nodding vigorously. Immediately, he ran over to Chihiro and grabbed her into a tight, bear hug, causing her to blush madly.

"K-K-Kenji-k-kun?"

"YATTA! WE CAN PLAY AGAIN CHIHIRO-CHAN! NE NE, ONIICHAN, ONEECHAN, CAN YOU TAKE US TO SEE THE BABY ALLIGATORS LATER?"

Sousuke laughed cheerfully. There was just nothing in the world like young love just waiting to bloom, especially when it concerned his little brother. "Definitely."

Sasuke, on the other hand, drew his attention only on the Kazekage. He had expected the red-headed man to be bursting in fury for a boy touching his daughter; Sasuke would have done just the same (now that he thought about it, he actually did). Instead, Sasuke found the Kazekage sighing peacefully. Then, the two's eyes met.

"He's a fine boy, Sasuke," Gaara commented to Sasuke. "You've raised quite a gentleman."

The words rang through Sasuke's head as he watched his youngest son chat animatedly to Gaara's daughter. He couldn't keep up, for Kenji jumped from baby alligators to Sand Village to moving away to clouds and whatever the five-year-old boy could come up with his head.

Sasuke grinned. "I guess I did."

According to the slap on his face from his wife, Sasuke figured that Sakura did not agree.

"Cocky jerk. There is now way in hell Kenji learned to be so sweet from you," Sakura grumbled angrily. Giggles erupted from the other two Sand siblings.

"Oh god, I love watching Sakura whip Sasuke around like a dog," Kankuro mentioned.

"Sou ya, sou ya. We've got to come to Konohagakure more often for this," Temari added.

Damn, did Sasuke miss being able to chidori everybody in his sight who angered him. If only he wasn't married to a woman capable of shattering every bone in his body. And that their anniversary was tomorrow.

Looks like things will just have to play out the next morning.

* * *

><p>Sousuke considered himself lucky when he and his sister managed to convince their mother to release him from the hospital. Realizing that her anniversary was tomorrow and she did not want to make a fuss out of things, she eventually agreed under the condition that Sousuke take no missions nor train for the next three weeks.<p>

Knowing his own mother, Sousuke was more than grateful to oblige to her demands. In fact, he hadn't been able to relax for a while now.

And here he was, late in the evening, sitting at the dining table, waiting for the whole family to join him. His mother was chopping the last bits of vegetables to prepare for dinner. Kimiko had just entered the room, a towel in her hand, drying her long, black hair. It had been a while since he last saw his sister's hair down; she always wore it up when going out. And Kenji, Pochi in his arms, sat to Sousuke's left, sitting impatiently for the rest of the family to join.

Footsteps were heard coming down the stairs. Sousuke glanced up, noticing his father descend down, making his way to the dining room. Kenji crossed his arms, smiling.

"Otouchan, hurry up! Hurry up! We should eat now!" Kenji exclaimed excitedly.

Sasuke sighed hopefully as he took a seat across from Sousuke. Strange how peaceful looking his father appeared when he wasn't wearing his ANBU uniform. To Sousuke, his father looked much softer and relaxed without a sword strapped to his back or the ANBU sash tied to his waist. It was one of the few times where Sousuke was able to see him as only his father, not the powerul ANBU Captain people often compared him to.

"You too, okaachan! Sit down, sit down!" Kenji cried impatiently.

"Hai, hai, Kenji," Sakura chuckled, bringing over the plate of vegetables to the dining table. She sat next to her husband, just as Sousuke pictured it should always be. "Now what's with all the energy? You're cheerier than usual."

"I am happy! We haven't eaten dinner together in forever! It's my favorite time!"

Everybody stared at Kenji, who innocently smiled as he glanced around the table for his favorite food. Unbeknown to the youngest, the whole family had a trail of thoughts in their mind. It was true. It felt for the first time in years that they all sat down for a meal. Sousuke knew everybody was so busy lately; his father leading ANBU, his mother healing the village, his sister training to for Jonin Exams, and Sousuke himself running around on missions. They had been so caught up in their own thing that they nearly forgotten what it felt like to be in one room again.

And poor Kenji was always left alone to explore on his own, constantly seeking somebody to play with.

_No wonder he's so happy right now_...Sousuke thought, a smile forming on his face. Quicky, an idea lit up in his head.

"Hey Kenji, wanna go to the city next week?"

Kenji stopped munching down on his fish bits. He swallowed hard before inching closer to his older brother, glee evident on his cheeky face. "EH? Really? You don't have missions?"

"I'll request for a break. We can go see elephants at the zoo. It'll be fun!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Please, please, please okaachan? Please?" Kenji begged innocently.

"Hey wait a minute, why ain't I invited? I wanna go to the city too!" Kimiko whined.

"Then who's going to keep the handsome Koji company while I'm gone?" Sousuke teased.

"Hey, I do NOT like him!" Kimiko shot back, blushing.

"I didn't mention anything about a crush," Sousuke smirked. "Aww, Kimi marry him so he can my brother!"

"OH MY GOD I'M GOING TO KILL YOU! OKAASAN!"

"Sousuke, don't make fun of your sister," Sakura lectured, though she was clearly amused with this banter between her children.

And the conversation remained lively for the rest of the evening, and though Sasuke rarely spoke (mainly to taunt Sousuke or Kimiko), he remained content with knowing that this could happen tomorrow, the day after, and the years to come.

Except, maybe it wouldn't last that long. Sousuke's face did appear more mature lately. Not to mention, Sasuke couldn't help but notice how much taller his son had grown.

He sipped his tea, listening to his family chat with one another.

* * *

><p>"You're quieter today, Sasuke-kun."<p>

Sasuke glanced to his wife, who laid comfortably in their bed, wrapped in his arm. Her big, green eyes met with his dark orbs. He had expected to see Sakura's worried expression, yet all he saw was the soft smile he fell asleep and woke up to every morning. He always wondered how he always received her precious smiles.

"I don't know if you're happy that we finally have time for us and the family again," Sakura continued. "Or sad that this might be one of the last moments we have with them."

She lifted her head up, her chin resting on his strong chest. She was reading his face for any signs of emotions. It was a special skill only Sakura could possess: being able to read the complex emotions of Uchiha Sasuke. Sasuke sighed as he entangled his fingers into her pink hair.

"Dobe needs to stop sending Sousuke on missions," Sasuke grumbled. "Before he makes more money than I do."

"Can't you just admit that you want Sousuke to be a little boy again?" Sakura laughed. "Is it really that hard for you?"

Sasuke didn't answer. Instead, his eyes suddenly went to the window, sensing the abnormal. Gently, he slid his arm away from Sakura, standing up from the bed. Sakura looked on, confused. Luckily, Sasuke paused for a moment, kissing her softly on the forehead.

"Sleep, Sakura," he whispered. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

Reluctantly, Sakura nodded and fell back to the bed. When he saw that her eyes were closed, her breathing slowing to an even constant, he opened the window and crouched on the sill. He grabbed the edge of the roof, swinging up to the rooftop.

There, he saw his oldest son, in pajamas, sitting on the very top. Sousuke had yet to realize his father's presence, his eyes too concentrated on the bright stars above. Sasuke instantly felt a sense of tranquility that his son often radiated when in his presence.

No matter how hard he tried to hide it, Sasuke could not stop smiling at this very simple scene.

_Barely two months had passed since Sasuke returned to Konohagakure. He walked through the village during the middle of night, barely any villagers passing by. It was unbearably quiet, even for a stoic man as him. It felt strange to wander around the same village he once called home; it didn't feel like one anymore. After spending years away from it, Konoha felt like a foreign country. He knew very few people him, let alone anybody close._

_If he was honest with himself, Naruto was the only person he talked to on a daily basis ever since returning. Kakashi tried to return things like they used to be, but it proved difficult for him. And Sakura was the odd one; all she ever gave him was a simple "Hi" and would walk on. She made no attempts to engage a conversation with him._

_Speak of the devil, he recognized the color pink amidst the green tree leaves._

_Pausing his walk, Sasuke glanced up at his teammate. She was sitting on a tree branch, leaning against the trunk. She didn't notice Sasuke was there; her attention was elsewhere. It wasn't hard for Sasuke to figure out that Sakura was staring at the stars._

_He didn't know what the fascination was with stars or why they were so important. Even as a child, he never understood why people tried to count them; they were just too many. But he did know that, according to her smile, it made Sakura happy and peaceful._

_He rarely saw those smiles of her then. And back in those days, Sasuke thought that was the only chance he had left to see her smile the way she did. The smile that suddenly made his insides warm when he didn't know why. He truly thought he lost her smile forever._

And here his son was, watching the stars the same way his own wife did. Sasuke wondered if this was to be the new Uchiha thing, his kids watching the star. He'll never comprehend why, but he was more than okay knowing it was the go-to way to make each of them smile.

"Go back to sleep before your mother panics, you goonface."

Sasuke was rewarded with a glare from Sousuke. The boy couldn't glare either; he didn't have the harshness that Sasuke did. Even his own daughter was scarier with her glares than his son (Of course, Sasuke absolutely refused to admit that he _sometimes_ felt chills when Kimiko glared). He didn't know whether that was a good or bad thing.

"I couldn't sleep," Sousuke admitted grudgingly. "Just a lot on my mind. What's your excuse?"

"Making sure get to bed before your mother throws a fit," Sasuke replied in a monotone. "It's already enough she couldn't force you in the hospital."

Sousuke suddenly felt uncomfortable. He was unintentionally reminded of the incident just yesterday, screaming his head off to his father.

"Um, tousan, about yesterday..." Sousuke started hesitantly. "...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said those things, even if I didn't know the whole story of me and the kidnapping. I was just-"

"Drop it," Sasuke ordered sternly. "You went to her house; that's all that matters."

Sousuke raised an eyebrow. "H-How did you k-know about that?"

"Dobe," Sasuke answered with a scowl. Sousuke would have asked about that too, but knowing that their Hokage definitely was one that needed to hear the village gossip to enjoy life, he let it go.

"Um, Kenji told me what happened when the Sound ninjas came," Sousuke bit his lips nervously. "With Kimi...D-did one of them try to really, well, you know-"

"I'm not blaming you for not saving your sister sooner, Sousuke." Even when his father was being nice, he always came off harsh. Either way, he always found it weird how his father could read his mind about these things.

"Trust in Kimiko's strength," Sasuke stated. "Just as I had to believe you were strong enough to defeat your kidnapper."

Sousuke's eyes widened. He did not expect the last part to come out of his father. He never realized how much faith his father had in him. Now, Sousuke couldn't say he constantly waited for his father's acknowledgement. Not when just learned that he always had it; he just never knew.

"At the hospital, you said you didn't want me making the same mistake as you did," Sousuke turned to his father. "...Did I?"

For what appeared to be the longest time, Sasuke sat still, his eyes off to the sky. Sousuke waited for any sign of an answer. Slowly, his father shook his head.

"No, you're not the coward I was at your age," Sasuke explained, scoffing. "Actually, I was a complete idiot compared to you."

"What do you mean?"

Sousuke was incredibly confused. But he wasn't sure if he wanted the answer, especially whem his father looked on solemnly, troubled just by the thought. For the first time, he saw a moment of fear covering his father's face, as if he didn't want to reveal a dark secret to his own child. His father may have been a man of few words, but he always gave an answer when Sousuke pressed on about his vengeful past. So what could be worse?

"All you did was yell at the girl; I left the village days after proposing to your mother."

* * *

><p>OOHHH ANOTHER CLIFFIE! Yeah, you guys must really hate me for this. Anyway, I remember reading through the reviews about how much you guys wanted Kimiko and Sakura to be more tougher. You could imagine how I was laughing the whole time, taunting you guys by saving it for this chapter. I really wanted to tell you guys that the girls will have their moment, but...TORTURE IS FUN. Actually, was pretty surprised a lot of you guys thought it would be Itachi and I still don't understand why. Somebody care to clarify for me? Anyway, I hope her action scene gave you guys a more in-depth idea of Kimiko in the story.<p>

I know a lot of you guys suggested I give Kenji some superpower, but I decided I against it. I mean, he's only this little boy; why should he be tortured with a super jutsu that could ruin his life? I didn't want to make Kenji too cool like that. I feel that just him wanting to protect Chihiro already showed his strength. And if I did give him one, then that's a WHOLE OTHER EXPLANATION I WOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH. Maybe I'll write a short story for Kenji in the future. Who knows? Well, then I guess I have to do the Rumy-Nin sequel since so many of you guys are begging for it. I'm still unsure for that.

Anyway, you guys got lucky I had more free time than expected this week! Don't count on another chapter til Thanksgiving Break or December! GOTTA GET TO UCSD PEOPLE! Keep yourself occupied by reading my other stories (lol, how vain of me) or other people's. Actually, if you're in school, STUDY HARD! BETTER LEARN HOW TO MAKE GOOD STUDY HABITS AND SUCCEED IN SENIOR YEAR UNLIKE I AM!

Okay, bye guys! Thanks for all the support!


	16. The Promise of a Lifetime

Chapter 15:...By The Promise of a Lifetime

Hey guys! I got a chappie out just in time before Thanksgiving!

Anyway, I'm nearly done with UC applications. I just need to finish 1 of the two personal statements required and I AM STRUGGLING! Seriously, I needed to relax and turn to for a while. Anyway, I'm hoping to get another chapter out around early December when UC apps are finished. By then, it's just private by I'm not too worried about those. The reason I want to get a chapter out for early December is because for Christmas, my family and I are actually going to Mexico for Christmas Break. I'm really excited because it's my first time there! To be honest, we're not going to the tourist areas except for probably three days. The main reason for the trip is to visit my dad's old college friend who just had a baby YAY! The area we're going to is Zacatecas, which I heard is mainly the middle, not beaches. My dad's friend will take us to Cabo San Lucas toward the end so yeah, that's my Christmas break! If you guys are from there or familiar with it because you travel there a lot, tell me which places I should go to eat and anything really 'cause I'm not familiar (obviously). Same goes for Cabo!

Ok, enjoy the chapter!

* * *

><p>Sousuke had nearly jumped out of pure horror. Actually, he wanted to do several things to his father for even mentioning such a dark secret. For so long, Sousuke had this grand idea that regardless of how cold and distant his father was, the man was loyal to his mother. He wouldn't leave her, whether he still loved her or not.<p>

If he had it his way, Sousuke would have punched his father right in the face. He would then yell at him uncontrollably for such a crime; how could his father not learn his mistake from the first time? He wanted to call his father every word in the dictionary that Sousuke knew that could destroy his spirit. He wanted to make his father feel pathetic.

Sousuke was already cursed knowing that his father was ready to leave his mother after one stupid argument years ago; he shouldn't have to know more. He wanted to scream at his father, question him why he even bothered to marry his mother. And finally, Sousuke just wanted to cry, even by the slightest bit, for the first time in seven years.

But Sousuke didn't. Instead, he remained silent as he watched his father's expression. Overtime, Sousuke was used to his father look stern and cold. He gave off the occasionally smirk and evil grins but only as a means to taunt his children. Now, Sasuke looked broken. His shoulders were not relaxed but rather, hunched in shame. And his black eyes suddenly dimmed, as if in regret and guilt. Sousuke could imagine his father, at this very moment, replay the memories in his mind, second by second. Sousuke barely caught the slightest movement of his father's hand tightened into a fist.

For the first time in Sousuke's life, his father, the Uchiha Sasuke, had let his guard down this very night.

Sasuke's eyes wavered to his right hand, looking nowhere but the golden band around his ring finger.

_He's thinking about okaasan..._It was a habit Sousuke learned to associate with. A rare habit, but nonetheless, the meaning was always the same.

"What happened?"

Sasuke jolted up, raising an eyebrow. Sousuke couldn't say he wasn't expecting this; he hadn't been the most empathetic person to his father for the past few years.

"Well," Sousuke hesitated. It had been years since he's talked to his father like this.

"I know you, otousan. You don't just exactly propose out of the blue. I know you're not the type to bust out a ring for anybody, so you must really love okaasan. I don't believe you would leave her hanging after doing something some special for her. You must have a legitimate reason for it."

Sasuke stared at his son calmly. A light scoff escaped from his lips.

"You have too much faith in me."

"Maybe you have too little in yourself," Sousuke frowned. He received a smirk in return from his father.

A heavy sigh followed. Sasuke recomposed himself, sitting up straightly, yet his hands were still tightly balled together. Sousuke understood why; his father wasn't the type of guy who was going to sit you down to start telling you a bedtime story. Not unless it was important, which it was rare since the man liked to keep to himself.

"I'll tell you, but do know that to this day..." Sasuke began, pausing for a brief moment. "... I consider this the biggest regret in my life."

* * *

><p>After two years of returning to the village, I had truly believed I atoned all my sins.<p>

At first, I wasn't used to the peacefulness; I considered two years without a single threat a gift. Everything had seemed perfect. I was dating your mother and we had moved in together. We settled down fine so that it became almost a routine. We would have fights and arguments here and there, but never anything so serious that I could see myself with another woman.

I didn't know why, but she always smiled at me. Every day. I never did anything but whenever we saw each other, she instantly smiled. I don't ever recall doing anything special for her except step in the room. I didn't understand how I made her smile. But I thought that because I could only give her that smile, I was doing something right.

So I proposed to her.

When you propose to a woman, Sousuke, you are also giving a promise. I told her that I couldn't romantic like the other boys in the village; I was just terrible at it. But I promised her that I'll always love her, no matter what her decision was. If she did accept, I promised to always stay by her side and never leave. I promised to always be there whenever she needed me, no matter what it cost me.

I used to think I knew how happiness felt when I saw her smile. But it became a whole new level when she said "yes" to my proposal. The real joy came from knowing that she wanted to stay by my side forever.

I never felt so glad to have your mother until then. For that moment, I couldn't stop being happy. I thought everything was going perfect then. Nothing could possible ruin it. Finally, I would have a chance to let my guard down; a chance for me to sleep next to your mother without worrying that she would change her mind.

That dream shattered, days later, when I heard your mother was in the emergency room.

She was only supposed to be gone for half a day, treating one of Fire Country's lords for an ailment. Your mother had done these trips several times, so I was used to it. I didn't think about it much; she always came home safe and sound.

But this time, it was different. This time, somebody had attacked her.

I found out shortly after the guards had taken her to the hospital. She had taken down the enemy, but incredibly weakened. I didn't know what else to do but run straight there, as fast as I could, hoping she would still be alive when I got there.

I couldn't see her. Kakashi blocked the entrance to the emergency room, allowing no one but the hospital staff inside. I wouldn't take it. I yelled at him to let me in, to let me see your mother. He didn't budge. I screamed louder, angrier, just anything to let me through. Anything to let me see her. I would have punched Kakashi if Naruto hadn't been there to hold me back.

I was beyond furious at the moment. I was mad at the hospital for not telling me about Sakura's condition. I was mad at Kakashi for not letting me through. I was mad at Naruto for siding with Kakashi. I was mad at your mother for not listening to me when I told her to be safe. But most of all, I was mad at myself for letting your mother get hurt in the first place. I could no longer say that your mother in danger used to be my greatest nightmare.

Not when it finally came true.

I waited outside the emergency room the whole night. The red light never stopped flickering; it was always on. I couldn't stop staring at it. Hours felt like days to me. I wanted it to be over. I wanted your mother to walk out of the emergency room, safe and sound, smiling like she always did. I wanted to scream at her for making me worry like I did, for making me feel helpless like never before.

Tsunade came out. I was wrong to assume she would bear good news.

Ten percent. That was the chance your mother had to live.

She had lost too much blood. Her charkra was dangerously low, yet couldn't regenerate. The odds were against her greatly. It would take a miracle to save her.

By then, I had lost all faith in miracles. I truly did not believe your mother was going to live. So many people had been taken away from me: my mother, my father, my brother, my whole family. I should have been prepared that Sakura was next.

Everything that haunted me before I was with your mother resurfaced all over again.

I couldn't stand that feeling. I did the only thing I could in that state of mind. I went straight to the ANBU Interrogation Department, where they were holding your mother's attacker captive. I wanted to beat him, torture him, chidori him, anything to hurt him for hurting Sakura.

Before I could even get him, he broke out from ANBU. Eventually, he had escaped the village. But I didn't wait for ANBU to trail him; I did instead.

I ran after him, ignoring all the cries from the guards not to, which they would have to report me. I didn't care. I wanted her attacker to suffer.

He was fast and no matter how close I trailed behind him, I never caught up. I didn't stop for days, constantly searching for him. His charkra was always nearby, yet I could barely catch him. I had engaged in small battles with him, but he always found a way to escape my grasp. I grew angrier with each time I failed to finish him off. And I wouldn't stop until he was dead.

I would go around small villages and cities for any signs of her attacker. I didn't know how far I was from Konoha and I didn't care. Nothing mattered until he was dead.

And then one day, while I was in a forest, Naruto found me.

He fought with me, shouting at me to return to Konohagakure. I couldn't. My only desire at the time was to hunt your mother's murderer and I would take down anybody that stood in the way, even Naruto. I was blinded at the time, Sousuke. I regret my actions, but I couldn't control how I felt. I told him I didn't want to go back, that I had nothing waited for me back in that village.

But your Uncle Naruto was always good with reasoning people out.

"Sakura-chan's alive, Sasuke-teme! She has been for over two months! And she's been thinking for over two months, you left her for good because she's weak! How could you make her feel like that? How could you make her feel like that after promising to be with her forever? You fuckin' _proposed_ and _left_ your fiancée, you bastard!"

I thought time froze when Naruto said all of that. I couldn't believe it: she was alive. And I had left her once again.

Yet, I was too scared to face her. I didn't know what she would say if we saw each other. I didn't want to know how she would feel after I broken another promise. I never wanted to make your mother unhappy, and yet I always found a way. I had, once again, let her down. She wouldn't forgive me. My second chance was my relationship with her; now, it was nearly gone.

Naruto convinced me anyway to come back. He said I should give up my revenge hunt, that I was stupid for not learning from my last one. The whole journey I struggled on how I would apologize to your mother, let alone whether she wanted to see me at all.

We returned to the village a few days later. This return was worse than after the Fourth Ninja War. I wasn't returning for myself anymore; it was for your mother.

I headed for the hospital once more, knowing your mother was bound to be there at this time of day. It was fortunate that I found her in the garden area, eating her lunch, alive, breathing, and still in my life. I hoped.

She noticed me. It was the longest silence of my life. If I had to guess, I knew your mother was bound to respond in two ways:

1. Cry like there's no tomorrow while hugging me.

2. Slap me so hard _I_ might actually cry.

She did neither.

Instead, she punched me right in the face. I can't recall whether I landed into a tree or not, but I do remember my nose cracking and bleeding for nearly two hours.

The worst you've probably heard your mother threatening to murder me was probably when I went grocery shopping and didn't keep a good enough eye on your idiotic, eight-year-old sister who wandered into a nightclub out of curiosity. Trust me when I said this was worse than that, Sousuke.

She screamed at me, called me a jerk, a bastard, every curse that existed in the universe. She screamed at me the several ways she would rip my limbs apart. She asked me angrily why I even left in the first place. She yelled how distraught she was when she woke up from the hospital only to find out I had disappeared. How she recovered all on her own, without me there by her side. How she thought I would stay for her after the proposal, but felt worthless when I didn't. And her fist were still tightly balled. That's how angry your mother was.

And throughout it all, your mother did her best not to cry, even though I knew she wanted to.

By then, I knew how much I had deeply hurt your mother. This was worse than leaving a 13-year-old girl who just confessed her love to me whom I did not have feelings at the time for. This was me that left your mother after she knew I loved her as well. This was me, who had made the biggest decision of my life to ask for her hand in marriage, and left her with no hope that it wasn't going to happen.

For that moment was the only time I ever gave her false hope.

Your mother knows me too well. I was about to apologize when she suddenly cut me off and said she didn't want another apology; I gave too many of them to her. She said I needed to stop working for her forgiveness. I thought that was her way of ending out relationship for good. Thank god it wasn't. No, she wanted another promise. A new promise.

"The problem in our relationship is not me always forgiving you for your stupidity! I am not trying to fix you! You still "Hn" everything! You need a wide vocabulary! You're still rude to everybody! You're still the same arrogant, cocky jerk! You still hate taking me out to dinner dates! But I agreed to marry you for all of that because I love you!

"The real problem in our relationship is you not forgiving yourself for anything! You constantly beat yourself up for all the past mistakes! And I know you don't ever forgive yourself when we get into fights because I you can't stop wondering why I'm not with other, better guys! I want you to stop thinking there are better choices out there because I chose you, Sasuke-kun! Do not ask why I love you with all your flaws because I don't know either! I just do! It hurts to see you thinking that we're not going to work! And I'm scared that one day, you'll give up and leave like you did!"

You would think I knew everything about your mother since our genin days, let alone in our relationship. But this was the first time she exploded those words to me. I never knew that was how she truly saw our relationship. I wasn't aware that by doubting myself, I made her doubt _us_ in general.

I saw her slowly pull out the engagement ring I gave her over two months ago out of her finger. She did not throw it at my face like I expected her to. She merely held it up, in between her fingers, barely hanging on to it.

"I know that...you're prone to revenge, that I can't be sure when you'll forget it or not. And I know sometimes revenge will make you want to leave. If I tell you to stay by side, it might pressure you too much. So if you still want me to marry you, promise this: whenever you have the urge to leave, please tell me. Tell me when and why you'll leave so I won't wake up in the morning and waste days wondering why.

"And when you do leave, promise to always come back. I don't care how long it takes, but please come home. Otherwise, I refuse to marry you."

She was dead serious. Everything she said was real and true. And I wasn't sure if I was going to break it or not. I wasn't sure if I could keep the promise again after so many broken ones. I didn't trust myself. I was scared to make her cry all over again, because I had apparently an expert at it.

And at the same time, all I really wanted was to be with your mother. I wanted to wake up to her every morning. I wanted to make her happy. I wanted to grant her the happiness she deserved for all those years of loving me.

I gave her my word. I gave her the promise of a lifetime.

* * *

><p>"I haven't left the village in over twenty years," Sasuke finished solemnly.<p>

Sousuke absorbed every word his father spoke. It was all still too much. It was almost surreal to him, unbearable to contain. In fact, Sousuke didn't dare ask about who the attacker was; it was a secret that his father probably wanted to keep.

From how his father spoke, Sousuke assumed this was the first time his father ever told this story. To anybody. He never once saw his father as a man who could never forgive himself so terribly that he felt helpless.

But then again, Sousuke felt the exact same way with the Snow Country Mission. He looked over the village, noticing the familiar house of the Nara residence. Shikana must be sleeping now, safe and sound.

"I'm sorry."

Sasuke's eyes widened at his son's voice.

"I always blamed you whenever I saw okaasan sad or angry. I used to think you didn't love her as much as she loved you..." Sousuke explained. "...but now I know it's because she hates seeing you beat yourself up about it. She's not uncomfortable knowing you haven't found your peace yet. And maybe that lack of peace is stopping you from doing nice things for her."

Sasuke stared at his son. Sousuke had grown so much and what was years felt like seconds to him. It was so hard to imagine Sousuke being so young and innocent, not when he was so wise and strong for his age now. Surprisingly mature that Sasuke couldn't believe this boy sitting next to him was actually his son.

"You've always loved her, huh, otousan?" Sousuke smiled.

Sasuke nodded. "There has and never will be another."

"That's because okaasan's the only one nice enough to handle you," Sousuke chuckled.

"Hn." Typical response from his father. Yet, Sousuke couldn't imagine it any other way.

"Is that way you never caught my kidnapper all those years ago? The one that forced out the sharingan from me?"

Sousuke wasn't sure if it was right for him to blurt that question out. He knew his father was unaware of his own knowledge of the incident. The man did seal that memory away. But Sasuke only smirked.

"Yes and no."

Sousuke flinched, raising an eyebrow at his father's vague response. Understanding the Sousuke's look, his father explained.

"I didn't go after him once I found you. I wanted to bring you back safely first. But I stayed not only because I promised your mother, but for you and your sister as well. Every child needs a father by their side."

A sudden wave of warmth overcame Sousuke. He felt like an idiot for thinking it, but he considered this the first sign of real caring from his own father to his children. All the training he went through as a child, all the strictness he met from his father, it was all for their own good. And now, he was finally seeing it.

"Thank you, otousan, for being apart of my life." He truly meant it. "I'll try not to get annoyed when people think I'm the second you."

Sasuke scoffed. He clearly saw it as an indirect taunt against him. From his own smirking son indeed.

"It's true that we share certain traits," Sasuke admitted. "But people always forget you're also your mother's son, Sousuke."

And Sasuke knew he was right. The more he looked at his son, the more obvious it became how much Sousuke truly had from his mother. The kindness he always had that made him such a wonderful gentleman as the villagers said. The worrisome attitude he had when he noticed somebody down. His impatient need to cheer somebody up when they were sad.

_He smiles just like you, Sakura..._Sasuke thought as he watched his son, so amazed at how he turned out.

_He wasn't surprised when he came home to loud crying erupting from the backyard. He jumped over the roof, watching his two children._

_"Kimi, what are you doing?" scowled a seven-year-old Sousuke, looking straight up at the top of the tree, where his little sister clung to for dear life._

_"O-Oniichan, help me! I-It's scary up here!" Kimiko cried, burying her face into the trunk._

_"Baka! It's your own fault for climbing up there the first place! Get down yourself!" God, he used to be so cruel to his little sister._

_"But oniichan! I might fall!"_

_"Yada! I have training!" Sousuke grunted, crossing his arms._

_"Oniichan! Please! I-I-I don't know how to get down!"_

_Sasuke watched carefully at how long his son was going to play stubborn to this. He could tell that Sousuke really wanted to help, but judging on how he glanced up and down at the tree nervously, he was scared that he couldn't do it. Whenever something like this happened, either him or Sakura came to take Kimiko away from that dreaded tree his kids had a knack for always climbing and refusing to come down as babies._

_Now, he would observe._

_Sousuke sighed in defeat, walking quickly to the tree. He held up a sign for a brief moment before looking up to his sister. "Fine, but don't tell 'tousan I know how to do this. I want to laugh at his face when he sees me doing it."_

_And hesitantly, Sousuke ran up the tree trunk with his feet, steadily and successful upon reaching the top. Sasuke could not hide his smile._

And yet, he still found it strange how people these days could compare his son to him.

_"Ah Fuku-ojisan! Let me carry it for you!" Sasuke heard his son's voice._

_He glanced down the street, noticing his teenage son rush over to an old man carrying a giant cart on his back. Sousuke had started to take off the load from the old man's back._

_"Ah, Sousuke, don't worry. It's no burden-"_

_"But ojisan, you have to take better care of yourself! If something happened, you'll scare your wife! You and I both don't want to make her worry, eh?" Sousuke argued back, immediately carrying it himself._

_"Ah, but young men like you shouldn't waste your time helping us elders," the man said feebly. "My house is thirty minutes from here. I couldn't make you go that far with that heavy-"_

_"I'm telling you, it's fine! If you break your back, not only will you wife get angry, but my mother will too if she sees you at the hospital again not taking care of yourself! Now please lead the way."_

_And the old man sighed in defeat, walking ahead of Sousuke. And people said Sousuke was the exact replica of the Uchiha Sasuke. Obviously those people didn't know that Sousuke was the only Uchiha in its entire existence to help an old man in need._

Indeed, his son had grown so well. And so much. And for Sasuke to witness this firsthand, from start to finish, that was enough happiness for him. All the fears of him leaving his children by themselves, Sakura a single mother, him abandoning them, were gone. He stayed, because that was the greatest gift he had for his children.

"In case you wanted to know like okaasan did..." Sousuke started again. "...I didn't recover my memory again. Ino-basan told me."

Sasuke scowled, making Sousuke chuckle. He had always known how much Ino annoyed his father. His Aunt Ino had told him countless stories of how every time she came over to his parents' place in their youth, his father would immediately leave because he couldn't stand her yapping voice.

"Shame you didn't ask for it," Sasuke replied in a monotone. "You could have remembered the Nara girl giving your first kiss at four years old."

Sousuke nearly fell off the rooftop, slipping on one of the tiles. He recuperated quickly, his face red as a tomato.

"I-I-I-I-I'm s-s-sorry, S-S-Shikana k-k-k-k-kiss-w-w-w-what-I-I-I-" Sasuke obviously enjoyed his son's babbling.

"I lied. That was just to humiliate you." He even ignored Sousuke's death glare. Honestly, this boy even got embarrassed the same way Sakura did as a teenager.

Slowly, Sasuke stood up from his position. "It's getting late. Go back to bed."

"Hai, hai," Sousuke said lazily, following suit. He stretched out his arms, yawning quietly.

It was strange what time did to the mind. Sasuke could have sworn just days ago, he was looking down at Sousuke as a little boy. But now, even if only by a centimeter or two, his son was now taller than him.

_Guess this punk surpassed me in more ways than I think..._

He made his way back to his room. He paused for only a brief second, glancing back at his son. "Seriously, go to sleep. You'll be needed soon."

Sousuke blinked in confusion. He didn't have time to ask his father why. The man always did have strange things to say. Either way, he obeyed. He climbed back through his window, landing softly to not wake anybody up.

Just as he was about to plop right onto his comfy bed, he noticed a tiny figure appearing at his doorway. He paused for a moment as the view of Kenji, in his dinosaur pajamas, holding his bunny Pochi appear before him. Kenji clutched onto Pochi tightly, burying his face into Pochi's ears. He knew what happened everytime Kenji looked like that.

"Another nightmare?"

Kenji nodded. "I-I-Is it o-o-okay if I-I-"

Sousuke chuckled. His father was pretty good at predicting things.

"Always."

* * *

><p>It was two in the morning when Sasuke woke up again.<p>

His eyes opened slowly, glancing back and forth throughout his room. They stopped upon his wife's sleeping figure. He smiled softly; she looked so peaceful.

As careful as he could, he slid out of their bed, making sure he didn't wake Sakura up. He pulled the covers over her shoulder so that she didn't freeze at night. Quietly, he exited their room.

Silence: that was what overcame him as he stood in his house. He wasn't used to such silence, not from the typical noisy people he called his family. Even if they were asleep, it felt foreign to him.

He noticed a door left wide open, making him frown immediately. Only one idiot in the family was lazy enough not to close her own damn door, making it easier for conniving thieves to sneak it. Or, at least if they ever had a chance to pass by him first.

He walked over there, but left his hand hanging on the doorknob. He glanced inside. His daughter was sprawled all over her bed, face to her pillow, the slightest amount of drool falling from her mouth. Her blanket had crumpled up, only covering half a leg. Though she was shivering, a soft giggle escaped as her lips curved into a dreamy smile.

"Ahh...Koji-kun..." she mumbled in her sleep. "Mou, you so cute with that shirt ahh..."

Sasuke smirked; Kimiko looked so dumb in her sleep. If he was as cruel as Naruto and Sousuke, he would be videotaping this and blackmailing the poor girl into more chores around the house. No matter who they were, teenage girls always managed to be somewhat affected by boys. Sasuke knew that too well. And that they were moody, temperamental, loud people who suddenly showed great disdain for their fathers by attempting murder on them at least twice a week.

Yet, Kimiko had once been a little girl.

_"Otouchan! Otouchan!" a six-year-old Kimiko would greet every night Sasuke came home from work. "Magic carpet time, 'touchan!"_

_"Again?" He was pretty sure he had stepped in the Uchiha Manor for only two seconds when she ran down the stairs and jumped on his back. "Have your brother do it."_

_"But oniichan's doing Academy homework and won't play with me," she pouted cutely. "Okaachan's making dinner. Please, please, please otouchan? I promise to do kunai training tomorrow if you do!"_

_Sasuke smirked. He didn't really want her to worry about training so early; he would have done it without any bargaining from Kimiko. Her big, black eyes already did the trick. Either way, he always liked seeing her smile cheerfully after he agreed. "Ah."_

_Though everyday he came home, and his sore body yelled at him to fall on the couch, he never once refused a "magic carpet" request from his only daughter._

And now...

_"Stop being so overbearing! It's not even revealing!" Kimiko had raged at him a few months back._

_"It's too short," he grumbled, pointing to her mini skirt. There was no way in hell he was allowing her on missions with **that**._

_"Not everything above my knees is short, otousan!"_

_"Then pull your shirt down," He ordered sternly. He was more than displeased that not only with her skirt, but that her top didn't cover half her stomach. He was pretty sure girls these days were dressing stranger than ever._

_"Oh please! At least nobody sees my bra sticking out like half the girls here!" Kimiko snarled back. "Okaasan said it was okay!"_

_"If you don't change, I will have the Hok-" He couldn't even finish his threat._

_"OH MY GOD YOU'RE UNBELIEVABLE! OKAASAN! OTOUSAN'S BEING A JACKASS!"_

Sasuke shook his head, frowning. He stepped closer to Kimiko's bed, pulling the blanket over her entire body. He waited until he saw his daughter stop shivering, so that she was finally breathing at a calm, even pace.

_This girl is so difficult_, he thought as he left her room, closing the door behind. He moved to another. He decided to ignore Kenji's room. Why bother when he knew Kenji wasn't going to be in there anyway?

Slowly, he untwisted the doorknob to Sousuke's room. Barely a creak was made. Sasuke peaked inside. He didn't know whether he was smiling or not, but inside, it felt warm.

Laying on the bed were the two brothers, Sousuke and Kenji, next to each other. Kenji's tiny body had spread across the majority of the bed, his arms and legs stretched out like a snow angel. Sousuke, meanwhile, compromised by sleeping on his side to the far end.

Sasuke assumed, no, knew, Kenji had a nightmare and escaped to his older brother for help. It was like this almost every week. Kenji would have trouble sleeping, then Sousuke would take him in and entertain his little brother until they both fell asleep.

Sasuke always thought Kenji was the strange one in the family. Even before the boy could talk.

_He had returned home from ANBU duties early that day. Sousuke and Kimiko were in charge of watching Kenji that day for they had no missions. It shouldn't have been a big deal; Kenji was only eight months old. All they had to do was watch him._

_Unfortunately, it didn't agree with his two oldest children when he came home to a screaming Manor. It was also the same day he nearly went deaf thanks to those two._

_"HOW ON EARTH DID YOU LOSE HIM, KIMI?"_

_"NIISAN STOP OVERREACTING I KNOW HE'S HERE SOMEWHERE! HE CAN'T EVEN MOVE!"_

_"KIMI HE'S EIGHT MONTHS OLD! OF COURSE HE CAN CRAWL! WHY DID YOU TAKE HIM OUT OF HIS CRIB?"_

_"HE STARTED CRYING AND NO BABY WANTS TO BE STUCK IN A CRIB!"_

_"BULLSHIT! ALL YOU HAD TO DO WAS WATCH HIM FOR 30 MINUTES WHILE I MADE HIS FOOD! HOW DIFFICULT COULD IT GET?"_

_A curious thing. A good father would have walked in and lectured them for their immaturity. However, he was not a good father._

_No, Uchiha Sasuke was better._

_Instead, he waited on the rooftop, watching how his two kids would deal with this. Sure, they were only 12 and 11 respectfully, but Sasuke knew they could figure this out. Actually, he hope._

_"Oh no, oh no, oh no, okaasan's gonna kill me..."_

_"Calm down, will ya niisan? Kenji's here somewhere!"_

_"This wouldn't have happened if you weren't reading those stupid girly magazines!"_

_"No I wasn't!"_

_"Yes!"_

_"No!"_

_"Yes!"_

_And as he listened to the two argue, Sasuke couldn't help but notice the tree branch ruffling. It was too heavy for birds to simply land. He observed it closer, noticing a blob of black hair in the mist of the leaves. Sasuke sighed as he stood up from the rooftop, walking slowly to the tree branch. He crossed his arms, smirking in amusement._

_"Oi, Kenji, how did get up here?" He asked. Knowing not a single word, Kenji answered with a sweet giggle. Regardless, Sasuke picked up his son, continuing to watch the worrisome Sousuke and loud Kimiko argue with each other for hours._

_Sousuke and Kimiko had better appreciate him. Had their mother returned early instead of him, their heads would have been on the chopping block._

Strange, Kenji was. Yet very keen with the eyes.

_"Ne, ne, otouchan? Why do you always wear your ring?"_

_Sasuke's mind had drifted away until he heard Kenji speak up. They were sitting at an ice cream parlor. Kenji was supposed to be busy munching down the ice cream that was large enough to overwhelm his face. Instead, Kenji had asked him so suddenly, pointing to Sasuke's wedding band._

_"Otouchan?" Kenji quipped._

_Sasuke wasn't sure where his son was heading for. He was pretty sure he overheard Sakura explaining to Kenji the concept of marriage rings and such. And this boy was the type to always retain information, regardless of whether he understood it or not._

_"It means I'm married to your mother," Sasuke replied quietly._

_"Why is it dirty? Don't you put it in a box like okaachan does? Isn't that so it's always clean? Okaachan's ring is always clean because she takes it off when she goes on mission. She puts it in a really pretty box! Otouchan, do you have a box to put your ring in? Can I make one for you?"_

_Knowing his youngest son would never stop talking for the next hour or so, Sasuke preceded to think about how Kenji was to notice his ring in that way. He hoped Kenji didn't blabber it to Sakura about it, or anybody at all. The Hokage did forbid shinobi from wearing their wedding rings during missions in fear of family threats._

_And yet, Sasuke never felt right without wearing his ring, mission or not. It was his way of thinking Sakura was with him no matter where he went._

He closed the door to Sousuke's room and returned to bed with Sakura, watching her sleep serenely.

Three kids. Three beautiful kids he had with Sakura. Two that were near adult and one that still remained innocent as ever. He never expected he was strong enough to still be around for them, to watch them grow and train them. Especially, he did it all with Sakura.

And if anything, it was seeing this everyday that allowed Uchiha to sleep peacefully every night.

Of course, he couldn't see the same for tomorrow when he was absolutely sure his kids were going to do something to ruin his morning routine.

_They better not barge in if they don't want to get scarred for life,_ Sasuke thought evilly.

* * *

><p>Finally, I got to this chapter! I actually had a hard time executing this; this is somewhat similar to what I had in mind, but it's not the exact. However, I am very happy with what it came out. Translating my imagination to words is still difficult, so I'm trying to work on that more.<p>

Anyway, I was very amused with how half of you guys wanted to murder me for leaving that cliffie last chapter. Hopefully this made it up! It really was about time we had a father-son moment that makes it so crucial to the story. I feel bad for giving Sousuke all the serious moments, but I really do believe he is the only one who could handle it concerning that's just who he is. Also, I read so many stories of how the Uchiha kids are so similar to their father, yet I really wanted to emphasize how the kids wouldn't be the same if they just had Sasuke around. I mean, Sakura's there too. Even if she's not present in my story much, her effect and influence on the children are, I like to think, obvious. That's what I aimed to point out in a story of how Sasuke and Sakura raised their kids to be. There's a little of both in each of the children.

Okay, my commentary is getting shorter and shorter. This is really because of college apps. But to warn you guys, I'm guessing about 5 chapters left, give or take. Maybe this story will finish around February-March probably? I can't be sure. It depends on how busy I get at school. Also, a lot of you have been asking about a Rumy-Nin sequel and I got really scared at how many people want it so suddenly. I'm still not sure if I should write it or not, so I'll let you guys know if I decide to. I'm still iffy about sequels now since I have so many more ideas for fanfiction after this.

Until next time! Thanks for always reviewing!


	17. The Proposal

Chapter 16: The Proposal

Hey guys! Long time no see! If you hate author's notes, I understand so you are free to skip this and just read the chapter.

I'm really sorry for updating less than usual. The good news is that I finished UC apps (only have private schools to go, which are really easy). However, please understand that I'm a senior in high school and I really need to pay attention to this semester. This is probably the most important time right now and that's where I need to concentrate. A lot of you guys have been wondering what activities I do at school, so here's the list to give you guys an idea of how busy my life is and why I put fanfiction on hold.

1. I'm an all-year athlete, meaning I have a sport for each season. And I actually work for it, meaning I would like to make States this year for track at least and will cry if I don't (Yeah, I'm competitive).

2. I have three AP classes that require a lot of time and work to do well. I hate how there are some prats that think they have it so much harder just because they take more APs but really, those are the same ones that have no extracurricular activities. They don't understand the true meaning of time management, to be honest. They just have to balance academics; everybody has to balance their LIFE.

3. I'm president of Key Club, so I have to attend nearly every event which usually take place during weekends. I also have regular meetings with other schools, Kiwanis Advisors, the city, etc it gets hectic and stressful, I'll tell you that.

4. I'm one of the editors for my school newspaper (Ironic, since I'm so terrible at editing on fanfic...). I'll be honest, it's a pretty chill class but when you work, you really work. Deadlines turn everybody crazy.

5. I love you guys for all your support, but I need a social life. I need to get out and about with friends to destress myself from senior year.

So when I get down time where it's just me, myself, and I, the first thing is usually fanfiction. It's just very relaxing and I don't want to think too much about it. There are times that my chapters aren't great and some are depending on how busy I am and how much I want to update a chapter for you guys. Do you guys mind if I have slower updates but better chapters? I hope you guys want that, because that would encourage me to work even harder on them.

By the way, I'm not a huge Justin Bieber fan, but I gotta admit: His Christmas album is pretty bomb. It's got this laid-back, chill vibe to it that I really like. Plus, it helps that his voice got deeper too. Obviously, he's not the best singer but you can't deny that he has talent. In my opinion, he's just overexposed because Usher did an amazing job marketing Bieber, seriously (I'm even slightly jealous that his eyebrows are more shaped than mine's...)

ANYWAY END OF AUTHOR'S NOTE!

* * *

><p>He felt somebody nudging him repeatedly. Sousuke groaned in response, blinking tiredly. Slowly, the view of his sister's figure grew clearer. Even in darkness, Sousuke could see the sternness all over her face.<p>

"Niisan? You up?" She whispered.

"Kimi?" Sousuke slowly got up, resting on his elbow. He glanced over Kenji's snoring body to the clock. He yawned. "It's barely five in the morning. Can't I go back to sleep?"

And just as he was about to land back to his bed, Kimiko seized the blanket away. Sousuke crouched into a fetal position at the sudden coldness. He rubbed the side of his arms vigorously; he missed his warm blanket already.

"Hurry up and get dressed! Nicely too!" Kimiko demanded harshly, keeping her voice low. "Have you forgotten what today is?"

Only then did it catch his attention. Sousuke's eyes widened. He sat up abruptly, his eyes straight at the calendar hanging on the wall, a big circle marking today.

* * *

><p>Uchiha Sasuke woke up to a soft pair of lips on his. He felt a pair of arms cross over his chest, his wife's chin resting on it. Slowly, Sasuke opened his eyes, smiling as her pink hair came to view. He never noticed how well it complemented her green eyes until this morning.<p>

"Ohayou, Sasuke-kun," she whispered sweetly, kissing him again.

He groaned tiredly, blinking his eyes to adjust to the sunlight. Sakura chuckled, resting against him again.

"I think this is the first time I woke up before you," she stated. Sasuke couldn't help but silently agree. She was right. Usually he was the one that watched her wake up. And starting today, Sasuke highly considered sleeping in more just to wake up to her smiling for a change.

He glanced over to her, pulling her closer to his body. "I had a really good sleep last night."

"And why is that?" Sakura raised an eyebrow, feeling Sasuke's bangs tickle her.

He smirked, only responding closing his eyes again, feigning sleep. Sakura playfully pounced him with her fist.

"Hey, get up. Did you forget what today is?"

Sasuke shook his head. "And that's why we should sleep in."

Sakura pouted. "Is this how you planned on us spending our 20th anniversary?"

Silence. Sasuke covered his face into the pillow, earning a playful giggle from his wife.

"If you get up, I can tell what I have planned for the morning," Sakura whispered lowly into his ear. "_in bed_."

Sasuke immediately lifted up his head, smirking darkly at her. Damn, did Sakura know how to grab his attention. He glanced over the clock. It was still too early for his children to be awake. It was a beautiful time: no interruptions from the three. And he would hold no responsibility for any traumatic, scarring moments of their life. They could blame it on their mother for once.

"That is?" He asked very curiously.

Grinning, Sakura leaned low to Sasuke's ear, her breath tickling him. "First, I'll..."

And before she could utter another word, Sasuke heard loud, obnoxious banging on his door.

"OHAYOU OKAASAN! OTOUSAN! YOU GUYS STILL HAVE CLOTHES ON? YEAH, WE GOOD? AWESOME!" They heard Sousuke scream from the other side. Then, the door burst open, revealing three raven-haired children, two teenagers and one toddler.

"HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!" All three greeted simultaneously.

They had all changed into their street clothes rather early for the day. Sousuke held a tray of pancakes in his hands, watching his siblings run around the room in excitement. Kenji immediately bounced on his parents' bed, carrying a hand-drawn picture and a present box. Kimiko walked to the other side of the room. Sasuke ducked before he was exposed to the bright lights upon his daughter opening the curtains rapidly.

"You guys can't still be sleeping! Look how sunny it is today!" Kimiko exclaimed cheekily.

Sasuke groaned in annoyance. There used to be a time when Naruto was the worst cockblocker in the world; then, _they_ came. He flipped to the other side, his face buried in the pillow.

"I hate our kids," he muttered angrily. Hearing her husband's complaint, Sakura laughed, clearly enjoying this.

"Okaachan, look! I drew this for you and otouchan!" Kenji exclaimed, shoving his picture into his mother's lap. Sakura looked at tiny figures of her and Sasuke together, holding hands in what appears to be Kenji's definition of flowers according to the picture. Sakura smiled.

"Ohayou, Sousuke, Kimiko, Kenji. I love this Kenji! And the pancakes smell really good!" Sakura greeted, delighted at the sight of pancakes in his son's hands. "Thank you so much!"

"Oi, 'tousan! Get up sleepy head!" Kimiko yelled, slapping him hard on the back. Immediately, Sasuke jolted up painfully, biting his lips down to not scream. Why he ever allowed Sakura to train the girl to possess monstrous strength, Sasuke will never know. He just didn't expect Kimiko to use it in daily life.

But he recovered quickly, feigning ignorance of the screeching pain running down his muscles. He sat up slowly, his eyes finding two plates of pancakes. Sousuke had set up the tray neatly in front of his parents. Just by looking, he noticed how delicate the pancakes were. Not too crisp, yet not sloppy. Even the presentation of the plates was magnificent, the butter looking perfectly square probably due to a possible OCD-ness on Sousuke's part. They had done quite a job, though he refused to admit it openly. His kids would just eat him up for it.

Sakura, on the other hand, was much too eager. She picked up a fork, grinning widely. "Itadakimasu!"

She cut off a small piece with a knife and bit into it. She gasped excitedly. "It's so delicious! You three did a wonderful job! Hey, you guys should start making us breakfast more often if you keep it up like this."

"You know we only give you the best!" Kimiko replied cheerfully.

"'_We_?" Sousuke scoffed. "_I_ actually cooked. All you did was destroy the oven-" He stopped when his sister's hands smacked him over his lips.

"Don't kill the good mood, niisan, hahaha," Kimiko quickly added innocently. "Soooo otousan, what are you and okaasan gonna do today?"

"Hn." Sasuke crossed his arms.

"ACK YOU'RE SO LOUSY! YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE ANY PLANNED, DO YA?"

"That's low, old man, just low," Sousuke added gloomily.

"We were about to have a wonderful anniversary under these covers if _somebody_-"

"OKAY WE GET IT! JUST EAT THE DAMN PANCAKES, YOU SICK BASTARD!" Sousuke screamed, flaying his arms everywhere.

"Sousuke, what did I tell about you cursing in front of Kenji?" His mother lecture, pointing her knife dangerously at Sousuke. He gulped, mumbling a quick apology.

"Ne, ne, okaachan, what's a pervert?" Kenji asked curiously.

Sousuke ducked under the blankets to avoid his mother's glare. His father couldn't stop the smirk creeping to his face (actually, he would have burst into laughter but that would put him in the same situation as his son). He never expected the oldest to be so easy to bully. Then, Sakura glanced to the present box to the side.

"Hm? I wonder what you guys brought here," Sakura chuckled. Before she could reach it, however, Sousuke quickly snatched it away. He shook his head.

"Nope, you're only going to see this under one condition," Sousuke stated excitedly.

Their parents blinked in confusion. Sasuke did not have a good feeling about this.

"Proposal story!" Sousuke and Kimiko exclaimed simultaneously.

Sasuke stiffened slightly. His wife, however, laughed. He knew it would come to this.

"Really?" Sakura said, pleased. "Why so?"

"Because we want to know!" Kimiko replied.

"Please, please, please, okaachan?" Kenji pleaded.

"And how _this_-" Sousuke pointed to his father, earning a death glare. "-landed you in the first place."

Sasuke released a scowl, crossing his arms. Why bother with pancakes for the anniversary when he rather have his kids actually be nice to him for once? Sakura could only laugh. She pulled Kenji into her lap, who instantly seated himself comfortably.

He clutched Pochi tightly, whispering into one of the bunny's ears. "Ne, ne Pochi, okaachan's gonna tell a story so be a good bunny."

Then, all three Uchiha children scooted in closer, eyeing their mother. They didn't even wait for their father to argue, for he was rarely somebody good with words, let alone a story.

Their mother, Uchiha Sakura, smiled.

* * *

><p>Your father and I had only been dating for two years. I wasn't expecting any grand proposal anytime soon since we were still pretty young. Your father was still adjusting to life back in Konohagakure, and though we were facing pressure from the Elders to rebuild the Uchiha clan, I wanted to take my time with your father. The most important thing to me at the time was making sure your father finally felt at peace before we rushed into anything serious.<p>

And then I spotted your Uncle Naruto yelling in the jewelry store. Very loudly, of course.

I was curious why he was there in the first place. When I saw that he was around the rings' counter, I was ecstatic. I thought he was finally going to propose to your Aunt Hinata after all this time! Who knew that Naruto, the most oblivious boy to the girl who had the hugest crush on him, would be the first to propose? It was definitely a nice twist of life. I wanted to do a little snooping around so did a Transformation Jutsu as a disguise and entered.

You can only imagine my surprise when I heard exactly why your Uncle Naruto was screaming.

"What do you mean the ring's not ready yet? Come on! My best friend _forever_ is about to propose to the girl of his dreams and it is _my_ duty as his future best man to get this wedding started SOON! Now make it snappy and you better have that ring tomorrow for him because you don't want to mess with an Uchiha!"

* * *

><p>"You never told me about this," Sasuke frowned.<p>

"You know how loud Naruto can be," Sakura replied, chuckling.

"Hn."

"Get over it, geezer," Sousuke scowled. "So you knew he was going to propose to you? What happened next?"

"I would tell if you two _boys_ let me talk," Sakura gritted through her teeth, earning obedient nods from both Sasuke and Sousuke.

* * *

><p>So you basically get the jist: Thank the Hokage for ruining the surprise. For a short time, at least.<p>

See, thanks to stupid Naruto, I grew suspicious each time your father did something very, very out of the ordinary. For example: Romantic moments.

See, for every moment your father did anything romantic-related, I erratically anticipated when he would pull out the ring, get on his knees, and ask that very special question (to be honest, he never did, but we'll get to that soon). It was terrible. I constantly worried whether I overanalyzed certain situations or not. It horrified me that I slowly began to act just like your Aunt Ino (Don't worry, I love her, children, but sometimes she can get a little crazy about relationships).

The first moment I thought your father was going to propose: our second anniversary of dating. I had seen him gone shopping with Naruto the day before with failure, which left me somewhat disappointed, but then I was reminded of how Naruto was screaming in the jewelry store. I thought that shopping trip had been some decoy to prevent me from finding it.

Your father made pancakes that day. At first, I thought that maybe he was sneaky and hid the ring somewhere in the food. I tried to be very careful when I ate, taking only small bites in fear that I would swallow the ring (See how hysterical I was then?). It must have taken me over half an hour to finish a single pancake and there was no ring. Now, I wanted to believe that he would just be waiting for the end of the day to come to pop the ring out.

He didn't. All he did was make pancakes and I trained with him in return.

The next moment came where he did the out of the ordinary: Take me out to dinner.

* * *

><p>"WHAT? You fat liar, you actually did suck up your pride!" Kimiko interrupted, grinning evilly at her father. "Did the stars get too annoying for you?"<p>

"Ah, I like watching the stars! They're shiny and cool!" Kenji exclaimed.

"Wait a second, you never took her out on a dinner date?" Sousuke gasped in horror. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? HOW ON EARTH DID YOU KILL UCHIHA MADARA, WHO WAS ABOUT TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD, AND NOT KNOW THAT BOYS MUST TAKE GIRLS ON A DINNER DATE?"

"Says the idiot who can't get a girlfriend," Sasuke replied dryly.

"When I do, at least I'll take her to dinner for a first date and not make out with her out of pure jealousy."

"I'm going to kill Naruto after I see you cry from girls rejecting you."

"Seriously, you're such a prick for avoiding dinner dates."

"Dinner dates aren't required."

"Stop teaching our children stupid things," Sakura snarled under her breath. Sasuke stiffened upon her glare, not liking the current situation at all. Sousuke was learning _way_ too much from Sakura; she was definitely the only reason the whole village deemed their son "the perfect gentleman."

_Gentleman my ass_, Sasuke thought, irritated. _Doesn't even respect me._

"Anyway, as I was saying..." Sakura resumed.

* * *

><p>In case you guys didn't know, your father never took me out for dinner dates. He hates the idea of socializing, let alone even be near people (Yeah… that much hasn't changed either). I was so accustomed to not going out that it struck me very confused when he suggested it. It definitely was quite a surprise and a nice change of our relationship.<p>

And made me wonder whether he was going to propose or not. But then I saw how nice, glamorous the restaurant was and upon realizing how expensive the menu was, I thought this was it. He told me to order anything I wanted because he'll pay for it. In fact, he even got probably the second most expensive dish that day. I couldn't wait to see that ring. I was so nervous. When we finished eating, I could barely contain myself.

And then I saw him pull out a coupon when the waiter came over for our receipt. Apparently, Kakashi-sensei had given your father a coupon to the restaurant because it was going to expire the same day Kakashi left on a mission. All I could think was how very Uchiha Sasuke that was.

I was about to admit that it wasn't going to happen when something else very out of the ordinary happened again upon returning home early from a hospital shift.

There was a trail of rose petals on the floor.

I didn't know what to believe. I thought it was too far-fetching for your father to even come up with this, that it would not be what I thought it was. And at the same time, I wanted to have faith in him. I wanted to have confidence that your father, after such a horrible time away from Konoha, that maybe he had finally found his peace and translated well. That maybe he was ready to make the next step.

I followed the flower trail, which continued down the hallway. I remember that I was holding my breath as I awaited to see your father, kneeling with a ring in his hands. I imagined that he would admit his love in some very Uchiha way but nonetheless, still sweet. I eagerly awaited the end would be in our bedroom, where your father impatiently waited.

In reality, the trail ended in our bathroom, where I found your father and Uncle Naruto crouched around a vase of dead roses, panicking as they analyzed it very, very carefully. You would not believe the conversation those two idiots were having.

"Sasuke, what do we do? What do we do? They busted me a salary of nearly two weeks! They were supposed to be the special Eternity Roses!" Naruto had shrieked. "Why are they dying?"

"Dobe, you got scammed."

"ACK STOP DYING! STOP FALLING! OH NO HINATA-CHAAAAAANNNNNNN! THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO COMMEMORATE OUR EVERLASTING LOVE! TEME DON'T JUST STAND THERE! HELP ME BRING BACK THESE FLOWERS! I NEED TO MAKE IT IN TIME BEFORE HINATA RETURNS HOME FROM HER MISSION! IT IS A LONG-STANDING TRADITION!"

"Buying flowers every time your girlfriend returns is stupid, dobe."

Sometimes, I myself wonder why I ever decided to date your father in the first place.

* * *

><p>"And you say Naruto-jiisan is dense," Sousuke shook his head in disappointment.<p>

"Stop interrupting your mother," Sasuke lectured quickly.

* * *

><p>By then, I gave up on waiting for your father to propose to me. I decided to just wait it out for a few years. I had to remember that your father had only been back in the village for a few years. It was still too soon. The Fourth Great Ninja War is not something you forget easily, and as you kids are already aware, it was especially difficult for your father. It was time that I had to understand, that it would still take a great amount of time for such a huge leap in life. I had to treat it very delicately. I couldn't let my selfish desires get to me (even though I was pretty sure I overheard Naruto screaming about an engagement ring that day, unable to forget it).<p>

It was a good thing that a mission came up for Naruto, your father, and I. It served as a good distraction from my worries of wedding bells and white dresses and tower cakes. I really wasn't sure why I panicked; we were barely adults and still young. Either way, I don't recall what the exact mission was about. Probably something with guarding the Fire Daimyo for some special occasion, but that's not the important part.

No, the important part was what happened after the mission.

* * *

><p>"What? But I like hearing about missions!" Kenji complained.<p>

"Oh my god, oh my god, it's getting exciting..." Sousuke held in his breath, clutching a pillow tightly into his chest.

"Could this possibly be otousan's redemption?" Kimiko half-squealed.

"Could you two be any more annoying?" Sasuke scowled, immune to the teenagers' glares.

"Could you guys let me finish? It's almost over," Sakura groaned light-heartedly.

And yet, as she watched her three children sitting on her bed, alongside her and Sasuke, she wouldn't want it any other way. She glanced over at her husband, knowing that despite his cruel teasing of the children, underneath his hard exterior, he enjoyed every moment with them. Every moment she saw Sasuke and the kids together, she always find this special happiness and fulfillment that she couldn't give as his wife. Just as she knew she held a special place in his heart, so did their three children as well.

She wouldn't consider that their workload was disastrous, but they had been spending less time with their children than usual. It was so easy to let the two teenagers to do their own things being older, but she always did miss time together, especially with the youngest.

_Maybe it wouldn't hurt to relax from the hospital for a while_, Sakura mused to herself. _I could even train Kenji in that free time._

* * *

><p>We returned from the mission, tired and exhausted from the week-long travel back. Running and jumping through trees took a great amount of energy from us, so we were more than happy to see the gates of Konoha. We passed by the old bridge where Team 7 used to meet up every day during as genins. I remember walking through that bridge, the memories flooding all over again of our time back then. In my head, that bridge was the source of a happy childhood, innocence, and a bond forged to last to this day.<p>

That bridge also became another memory, especially for your father and I.

Because unexpectedly, as we walked across that bridge, your father uttered the words that would forever alter our lives.

"Marry me."

Those two words slipped out of his mouth so breathlessly.

I thought I was in a dream when he said that. I thought that I would wake up in disappointment. I wanted to pinch myself. And yet, it felt so real.

At first, I wanted to ask him where the damn ring was and why he wasn't on his knees. But then I thought back to how he said it. Your father had said those words so randomly at that moment, to be coming home from a mission, that there was nothing else to think about it. I thought that maybe, it had been on his mind for a while, that he was just waiting for the right moment to ask. Except, the right moment didn't come. I thought that maybe, he didn't want to wait, that he couldn't hold back anymore. Maybe that's why his proposal was such a quick spur of the moment.

And I had to remember everything your father had been through, especially the moments where he didn't have it as lucky as others did. He did not come from the best of places, children, and he could have ended up very differently. He could have chosen a different path in his life with a very different ending. And maybe, we wouldn't be sitting on this bed altogether, for this story would have never existed or even happened. So many things could have different had he chose differently.

But he didn't. He chose a path of happiness, one that took a great deal of time, patience, and work from him. It was a much harder decision than others, right but very difficult, yet he took it anyway. And I was glad to be a part of that, even happier to be allowed to help him through that.

So when your father asked me to marry him, in worn out clothes, exhausted beyond my imagination, with all his imperfections, I realized how much your father had truly struggled and how he had finally arrived at this moment. For him to take a chance at a monumental stage of life, I knew that after all that hard work, he found his peace. Now, it was just a matter of keeping it.

As you children will know soon, marriage is a huge step in life. It's a commitment that you must work hard for. It's a promise you plan to keep with the person you love for eternity. It's the promise that you will love them forever, through the sunny days and storms, no matter what comes. It's a promise that you'll keep them happy when they're with you. Whether you're the one proposing or accepting, you are making that promise and securing it.

For your father to take that leap in life, knowing that he had been through far worse than anybody could imagine, that he had worked so hard for not only me, but for you children to not go through the same now as he did then, knowing that he had fulfilled that promise...I never regretted saying "Yes."

Don't worry, we got the ring the next day (That jewelry store had too many delays according to your father). Just because this is Uchiha Sasuke we're talking about does not mean I'm going to let him off the hook _that_ easily.

* * *

><p>"And here we are, twenty years later..." their mother finished, smiling brightly toward their father.<p>

Sasuke, however, was not smiling. In fact, his shoulders turned rigid upon observing the cringing looks he Sousuke and Kimiko were giving him. He was not liking this. At all.

Kimiko raised an eyebrow. "So you're saying..."

"He didn't even have the ring in the first place?" Sousuke added dryly. Both teenagers turned to their father, who suddenly stared at the pancakes before him with great interest. Better at the pancakes than what was to come in five seconds.

One second passed. Two, then three. Four, and finally...

"YOU CALL THAT A PROPOSAL? THAT WAS PATHETIC!" Sousuke shrieked, pointing an accused finger at his father. "DON'T MAKE EXCUSES FOR HIM, OKAASAN!"

"OH MY GOD HOW MUCH WORSE COULD YOU GET, OLD MAN?" Kimiko followed suit. "OKAASAN, WHY? WHY?"

"YOU HAVEN'T CHANGED A SINGLE BIT!" Sasuke wondered how he still retained his hearing with his loud teenagers. He always wanted one of them to be the quiet one. Now, he had trouble figuring out who was the _least_ loudest.

"HOW COULD YOU EVEN MARRY THIS FOOL, OKAASAN?"

"WHAT TERRIBLE FORCE TOLD YOU TO SPEND THE REST OF YOUR LIFE WITH THIS CHICKEN BUTT?"

"I WOULDN'T HAVE MIND IF YOU MARRIED LEE-SENSEI!"

"AT LEAST HE DOESN'T ACT LIKE HE'S GOT A STICK UP HIS ASS EVERYDAY!"

"YOU RUIN EVERYTHING OTOUSAN!"

"Ah, I like Lee-Sensei! He's so cool!" Kenji chirped innocently, unaware of the real purpose of his older siblings' rant.

"HOW MUCH DUMBER COULD YOU GET?" Kimiko yelled.

"DO NOT KNOW HOW TO ASK? YOU CAN'T DEMAND MARRIAGE FROM HER LIKE SHE'S A SLAVE!" Sousuke backed up.

"WHY ARE YOU OUR FATHER?"

"THIS IS WHY WE'RE SO MESSED UP!" They were definitely too loud to be his children. And he couldn't believe the blissful grin spread across his wife's face as he endured this ordeal. There was no doubt that Sakura was thoroughly enjoying Sasuke being tortured by his own kids. To think they considered her the good parent; they had no idea what evil lurks behind those dangerous, jade eyes, especially when Uchiha Sasuke himself was the target.

"Tch," Sasuke lifted his fork, lazily glancing at his pancakes. "You punks wouldn't exist if it were for that ring."

As Sasuke was about to stab his fork into the pancakes, Sousuke immediately snatched the plate away.

"You don't deserve our hard work," Sousuke grumbled.

"Two hours for someone who didn't even propose with a ring," Kimiko added sourly. "Unacceptable."

"The one time you could have been sweet and romantic."

"You blow it up."

"Says the two idiots who can't beat me."

"Is that a challenge?" Sousuke snarled.

"You're on!" Kimiko smacked her fists together.

Sasuke smirked; it was always good to know those two were somewhat cocky. "You two against me. Loser runs around with that green-freak Lee for two months."

"Wait, I wanna be on otouchan's team!" Kenji jumped in.

"No, nobody is going to fight on my anniversary!" Sakura lectured, wavering her hands frantically. "Sasuke-kun, be a better example!"

Sasuke only replied with a scowl on his face. It wasn't like those two actually looked up to him or anything. A sigh quickly followed from Sousuke, who returned the gift box to his mother.

"Here, okaasan," said Sousuke. "Thanks for the story. Now go open it!"

"Hai, hai," Sakura laughed as she started tugging on the ribbon. "Now, I wonder what you three got this year..."

Their mother undid the ribbon, unwrapping it slowly. She delicately tore off the wrapping paper, making sure not to ruin her children's work too much. Then, she lifted the lid off the box, Sasuke peering over her shoulder. Both had identical, wide-eyed expressions upon seeing their present. Sousuke and Kimiko, however, could not stop grinning.

Hesitantly, Sasuke lifted up their little "present:" a golden… lock. He frowned immediately.

"Oi, what's wrong with you punks?" Sasuke asked dangerously.

"_Well._.." Sousuke tried his hardest not to laugh.

"Since you two _love_ having fun in the bed," Kimiko explained, making sure to keep it tame around Kenji. "And we never want to walk in on you guys, we decided to give you guys a door lock! That way, you have privacy and we won't be scarred for life! It's a win-win situation! Don't you love it? Come on, it's a really good investment for the future!"

An eerie silence followed. Sasuke was disappointed to realize that Sousuke and Kimiko had developed immunity to his death glare. He seriously thought that due to his son being a jonin that Sousuke would be able to afford him and Sakura a vacation. Far, far away from his children, even if just for a week.

Sakura, however, had a sweatdrop. "Well, it's definitely creative of you guys..."

"Ne, ne, okaachan, how do you have fun in the bedroom? Is it like playing hide-and-seek with blankets?" Kenji quipped innocently.

Both Sousuke and Kimiko were horror-stricken by Kenji's words, as they two immediately met with their mother's death glare. Sasuke could not hide his smirk at the sight of his son panicking.

"Sousuke, Kimiko, what have you been telling Kenji?" Sakura raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

"Ahahahahaha um K-K-Kenji, you hungry yet? I-I-I'll go m-make you s-something i-i-in the k-k-k-kitchen f-f-f-ar a-a-away," Sousuke laughed nervously, pulling Kenji's hand away, dragging them off the bed.

"Sou y-y-ya, Sou y-ya! I-I-I'll help too! Happy anniversary, you two!" Kimiko congratulated quickly before all three kids left their parent's bedroom.

An exasperated sigh escaped from Sakura. She leaned against the bed railing, chuckling lighly at the sight of the lock.

"Well, I guess it is kinda funny..." Sakura laughed uneasily. "But for our anniversary? I guess we should let them off the hook. The pancakes made up for it pretty well."

Sasuke, meanwhile, could not stop grinning. An evil glint was in his dark eyes, a plan brewing within his head.

* * *

><p>Downstairs the three Uchiha children were in the kitchen. Sousuke opened the fridge, delighted to find eggs. He pulled them out and a skillet from the cupboard. Both Kenji and Kimiko were seated patiently at the breakfast table.<p>

"Hmph, I was actually half-hoping that otousan would do something sweet for the proposal," Kimiko sighed. "He is forever hopeless."

Sousuke smiled weakly. "Maybe. But don't you think it would be weird if he was ever super romantic? It just doesn't seem to be like otousan, ne Kimi?" He cracked two eggs at once, dumped them in a tiny bowl, and stirred them thoroughly.

"I guess," Kimiko agreed reluctantly. "Somebody would have to drug him to be romantic."

"Ne, ne, what are otouchan and okaachan doing? Why aren't they down here yet?" Kenji pondered.

"That's true..." Kimiko gulped.

And then, a _very_ loud click came. From upstairs. Followed by their father's voice.

"_Now, where were we_?"

Both Kimiko and Sousuke's eyes widened, terrified. Kenji, however, smiled widely.

"Ah! They put the lock in! That means they like it!"

The next thing he knew, Sousuke was picking him up, running behind Kimiko as they madly rushed to the front door, far away from their house.

"COULDN'T THOSE PERVS WAIT UNTIL WE ACTUALLY LEFT THE HOUSE?" Kimiko screeched.

"DAMNIT KIMI WHY DID YOU HAVE TO BUY A LOUD LOCK?" Sousuke yelled. "I KNEW THIS WAS A STUPID IDEA!"

"Wait, you didn't make me breakfast!" Kenji cried, holding tightly onto his bunny.

When they had reached to the center of the village, a good distance from their house, they stopped running. Sousuke and Kimiko both leaned against the fountain, catching their breaths from the exhausted run.

"Mou, why did we even bother doing anything special?" Kimiko moaned. "All they really want is sex!"

"_You're_ the one that suggested we go big this time," Sousuke narrowed his eyes on her.

"I'm too scared to go back there."

"Agreed," Sousuke let out a heavy sigh. The morning was still quite early and according to his broken wrist, he wouldn't be able to train properly. Plus, he doubted he would return, for he feared what he would come home to. In fact, he didn't want to go near his house until nightfall; it was too risky.

"Now then, what should we do today, Kimi? Kenji?" Sousuke asked.

Kimiko shrugged. "I don't know. I don't have any missions today. Nanako's working at the hospital so I can't train with her."

"Oh no!" Kenji yelled desperately, who suddenly stood up glancing back and forth. He never looked so scared. Both Sousuke and Kimiko stared at him, worried.

"Eh, Kenji? What's wrong?" Kimiko asked, concerned.

Before they could figure it out, Kenji grabbed Kimiko's hand, dragging her away.

"Come on, we have to go to the front gates! We might be late!"

"W-W-What? Front gates? Kenji what's going on?" Sousuke never got a reply, for Kenji continued to run toward the opposite direction. Sighing in defeat, Sousuke followed his siblings, running again.

* * *

><p>Back at the Uchiha Manor, the door to the master bedroom unlocked slowly. Standing at the entry was the patriach, tall and fully-clothed in the standard Konoha black shirt and pants. He never expected his plan to go so well.<p>

"Tch, they're so perverted," Sasuke smirked. He didn't have to take his clothes off, let alone make pretend sex noises, to get rid of them. Slowly, he was starting to warm up to their anniversary gift. So far, the power of a simple lock was going rather well.

Appearing next to him was his wife, Sakura, wearing a mid-length white skirt and a red, high-collared blouse. Her hair was tied loosely in a side ponytail, several strands escaping to fram her cheeks. She shook her head in disappointment, though she was just as amused as Sasuke.

"You're so cruel to our kids, Sasuke-kun."

"Hn."

Sakura rolled her eyes. She wrapped an arm around Sasuke's, leading the two downstairs. They exited their house, Sakura locking the front door carefully. As she slipped into her flats, she turned to her husband, smiling the same smile for the last twenty years. And every time she did, Sasuke felt very lucky he always saw them every day.

"Shall we begin?"

* * *

><p>YEEEAAAHHHH WE FINALLY GET TO HAPPY PARTS!<p>

Okay, to be honest, I actually finished this a week ago, but was too busy to edit it because of two words: senior year. Yeah, anyway, for the proposal story, I wanted to keep it relatively Sasuke-ish 'cause let's face it, it would be very weird if did anything close to fluffy or romantic. Also, it makes good humor (or at least, I try to make it funny). Basically, this whole chapter, I made Sasuke a troll, messing with people's heads. I would do my commentary for this chapter, but I have to finish up stuff. Even when I'm on break, I'm a busy bee. Also, we're flying to Cancun on Sunday so I won't be doing any updating for a week after this chapter goes live. I do want to say, however, that I enjoyed writing this chapter. It's one of the rare moments where the whole Uchiha family is together in such a warm setting, how more energetic it is than one would expect that comes with a family of Sasuke's. I can promise, however, that more emphasis will come to the kids, even Kimiko and Kenji.

By the way, would you guys like some omake along the way? I know you guys want me more to emphasize on Kimiko and Kenji, so hopefully that works out maybe? Or should I just go straight to the story and finish it? You guys decide. I'm pretty flexible.

I'm kinda sad, I'm almost done with this story. I don't really have any idea what to do for fanfiction. I think I want to take some time off and just get back to reading fanfiction. It's been so long since I've just read. I mean, I do go through the list of stories and pick ones to receive alerts, but honestly, I haven't read anything beyond the first chapter for each of them. I need to catch up REAL bad. Actually, now that I think about it, I have to go back to writing "Stubborn" since I've nearly abandoned it. I actually really want to complete a drama story, so I NEED TO GET BACK TO THAT TOO!

Anyway, thank you for all the support so far. I hope you guys stick to the very end of this story. Happy holidays!


	18. Before the Manor

Chapter 17: Before the Manor

I gotta be real people: I'm not the biggest Taylor Swift fan, but I was writing this chapter to "Sparks Fly" on repeat. That's hands-down my favorite song on her album. Also, did you hear her song for Hunger Games? It so beautiful, dark, and haunting, gives you the chills when you hear it. It definitely suits the mood for the movie. I swear, it's the most hyped up movie right now, almost as bad as Harry Potter. Again, I'm not the hugest fan, but the movie is getting me so excited!

This is the last chapter of the year. I swore myself not to update for the next two weeks because I have finals (Yeah, we're one of those dumb schools that have it AFTER winter break). Again, it's senior year, really crucial, you guys get the idea. I'm sorry for not being able to update as quickly, but I'm at the position where I need to place school first. Once finals is over, it's basically SMOOTH-SAILING SENIOR YEAR! Yes, second semester is important, but it's not like I'm going for valedictorian here (seriously, there's always that super-smart genius that EVERYBODY KNOWS will end up as valedictorian so…why even bother). As long as I can maintain my grade high enough for the schools to still accept me, IT'S GONNA BE PRETTY CHILL!

Anyway, again, thank you for all of those who continue to read and review every chapter, especially those who have stuck since the very beginning! I wish you all have Happy New Year!

PS: Hope you guys still don't mind the long chapters! They are here to make up for my slow updates!

* * *

><p>She had no idea where they were heading as they walked down one of the many roads of Konohagakure. According to Sasuke's expression, Sakura could tell he took a path that avoided the usual hangout spots of their three children. He definitely did not want to see them the whole day at all. Sakura understood; it was their anniversary after all, and Sasuke did like some peace away from them. They could be too loud for Sasuke's comfort.<p>

"Sasuke, where are you taking me?" Sakura asked curiously.

No response. Sakura was not offended; it was typical of him to hide things for surprises, whether he liked them or not.

What Sakura did know, however, that the path they walked together on was vaguely familiar. She felt that she had once walked this path many times before, yet had long forgotten. She recognized certain shops that she had never been before, yet must have passed through in the past. There was a supermarket that Sakura thought had closed down long ago, as she and Sasuke went to a new one. She even realized that the Y-shaped crack down the turn of the path was also a figment of the past. Now, she wondered where they all came from. To her, it was a very distant memory.

Sasuke stopped moving suddenly, catching Sakura off guard. She blinked several times, confounded.

"Sasuke-kun?"

"We're here," Sasuke replied softly, motioning ahead. And then, Sakura finally realized her deja vu.

Right in front of their eyes was an decaying, white apartment complex, one she hadn't set eyes on for nearly seventeen years.

_Our old apartment..._

She turned to her husband, confounded. "Sasuke-kun, what are we-"

"The landlord gave me the keys for the day," Sasuke quickly answered, flickering out a chain of keys from his hand.

They walked up to the second floor, quickly finding their original room. Sasuke pushed in the key, unlocked the door, and entered first. Hesitantly, Sakura followed.

The first home she ever shared with Sasuke was standing before Sakura. Just by stepping into the room, she felt very young again, as if traveling back to the past. It startled her how she quickly saw the apartment as if she was just a young adult moving in with Sasuke, when they first started dating many years ago.

The apartment room was very empty, no furniture or decor to give life. Dust was spread everywhere on the floor, never cleaned nor touched. It was like a barren wasteland. And yet, Sakura could easily envision where everything was laid out when they lived here. The couch used to be to the left corner, a tiny table rested close to the kitchen, and a coffee stand pushed against the window. The memory was clear in her mind, a small smile snuck to her face.

Her ears quickly picked up a light laugh from Sasuke.

"Look," Sasuke said, pointing to a crack on the wall. "You punched the wall a week after we moved in."

Yes, she remembered it well. "You went to a strip club without telling me."

"Kakashi and Naruto dragged me," Sasuke grunted in defense.

Sakura laughed, walking up to her husband. A few feet away was a brown stain.

"Ah, the poop stain from Sousuke," Sakura giggled, leaning her head on Sasuke's shoulder. "He took off his diaper and tried to color the wall."

Sasuke motioned to the first empty room on the left.

"Weapon storage," he stated, noticing the blue paint had chipped away with the passing years. "Then we turned it into Sousuke's nursery."

Sakura's eyes trailed to the door, noticing a loose bolt on the hinge.

"Naruto always kicked down the door," Sakura said softly. "Didn't he always try to catch us doing it?"

"Tch," Sasuke scowled. "Always a dobe."

There were so many memories. After their children, Sakura found it very hard to imagine life before Sousuke, Kimiko, and Kenji. However, that life had once existed, and it was slowly resurfacing to both her and Sasuke.

_"What? M-Move in together?" She nearly choked on her own saliva upon hearing the same words from Sasuke._

_Sasuke nodded. "The Council won't allow me to live alone and I'm sick of dobe's ramen."_

_"What about Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura suggested, blushing slightly. She never thought it would be Sasuke to decide on this so suddenly, especially since they had only started dating four months ago._

_Sasuke only frowned; Sakura understood immediately. The poor boy could only handle so much of Kakashi and his terrible pink books. Besides, it was certainly going to be quite the adventure with him, so she agreed..._

_Slouching at the dining table, Sakura sighed in exhaustion. "We must have looked at over ten places and still no good!"_

_"Hn," Sasuke continued to scan over the ads, sitting across from her. _

_"I can't believe most of them wouldn't accept us just because they still see you as a traitor," Sakura pouted, crushing one of the ads with a single hand. "Ignorant assholes. Sasuke-kun, did you have any luck?"_

_"Some were willing, but I didn't take any."_

_"What? Why?"_

_"They're too far from the hospital," Sasuke replied in a bored tone, lazily flipping through the papers again. He always had a way of showing that he cared through the small things, never ceasing to make Sakura smile..._

_"Oi, why do I have to go through this? You can decide everything," Sasuke grunted; displeased that he was at a furniture store over the training grounds._

_"Because if we're living together, then you need a say in what we buy," Sakura insisted, dragging him over to the couch section. "I feel guilty enough that we're using your money."_

_"Fine, get this," Sasuke pointed randomly at a boring, back chair._

_"Baka, if I'm living with you, then it's gotta look decent! You need some color in your life, you cold bastard." Slowly, he began to miss the numerous stacks of empty ramen cups in Naruto's apartment..._

_Naruto whistled at the sight of the beautiful decor apartment, draped in soft colors and modern pieces. "Damn, Sakura-chan, you got this place looking nice!"_

_"Thank you, Naruto, at least somebody appreciates fine taste," Sakura replied, elbowing Sasuke hard on the side. He did his best to hide his discomfort._

_"Yeah, I bet if Sasuke-teme had to do it, it'll be a depressing, vampire hut," Naruto taunted._

_"Hn."_

_"Ah, I got it! I should move in next door too! The place there is open for rent!" Naruto exclaimed in delight. "IT'S A TEAM SEVEN DREAM LIFE!"_

_"NO WAY IN HELL!" Sakura screeched, pulling Naruto by the collar. "YOUR PLACE IS ALREADY CLOSE ENOUGH FOR US!"_

_"I want to join in too!" Kakashi piped, jumping on the window ledge to everybody's surprise. Sasuke groaned. There was a reason he decided to move in with Sakura without the baggage of the whole team. If he ever found those two idiots living next door..._

_Sasuke was taking a nap when he heard Sakura scream. He pulled out his sword, running straight to the living room. His heart dropped slowly as a loud thud followed._

_"Sakura!" He stopped, eyes wide as he saw small drops of blood on the floor._

_"ARGH THAT'S THE THIRD RAT THIS WEEK!" Sakura screamed, cringing at the sight of the dead rat that Sasuke assumed she just killed. "I SWEAR IF I FIND ANOTHER ONE, WE ARE OUT OF HERE!"_

_Sasuke had a sweat drop. He certainly did not want to go through the troubles of apartment hunting again. But he couldn't handle being frightened every time Sakura killed rats. He prayed those rats would be smart and make home at another..._

_He came back to the apartment late that night. He silently cursed Naruto for dragging him to a bar and forcing him to take a very drunk dobe back to his place. He dropped the keys quietly on the coffee stand, making sure not to wake up Sakura who was sure to be sleeping. When he entered the bedroom, there was an eerie silence he was not used to._

_Sakura was not in their bed. He frowned, blaming himself for forgetting the obvious. She was out of the village for a month-long mission. It was the first time he ever came back to his home, feeling cold and lonely..._

_They woke up together in bed, staring into each other's eyes. They couldn't help the smiles that crept to their faces. Sasuke pulled Sakura's hand, holding it tightly into his. He liked this new feeling of the ring on her finger brushing against his palm._

_"Good morning," Sakura greeted softly, kissing him on the lips. She had to remind herself that this wasn't a dream, that in a matter of time, she would soon be sleeping next to Sasuke as husband and wife._

_"Good morning," he replied in a low, tired tone. They had a long, sore night that made Sakura blush. She couldn't forget that they were in great need of clothes at the moment._

_"And good morning as well!" Kakashi exclaimed in delight from the tree branch outside, causing Sakura to squeak in embarrassment. "My, my I cannot be more excited for my two students getting married! Hurry up, Sasuke; we must get you fitted for a proper tux! And Sakura, we need to practice walking you down the aisle!" _

_Before they realized it, Sasuke had pulled on his boxers and created a chidori as he chased Kakashi throughout the village..._

_2 AM in the morning: Sasuke and Sakura were walking back to their apartment, him in a black suit and her in a white gown. Their wedding had been long and tiresome, yet that happiness could never be replaced, a day never to be forgotten. They would start a new life together, a family somewhere down that future, waking up to each other for many years. For now, all they wanted to do was enjoy each other's company._

_After they entered their place, Sakura gasped when she felt Sasuke grab underneath her knees and shoulders, carrying her bridal style (much to her amusement). He carried her to their bedroom and paused just before the door. He pressed his forehead against hers, smirking._

_"Do you know what's on my mind, Uchiha Sakura?" He whispered to her, loving the way her new name sounded. It rolled off of his tongue so easily._

_Sakura grinned. Of course she fully knew his intentions; it didn't take an idiot to realize what any man wanted after a wedding. "Then I'll be needing assistance with my dress. Ino-pig made it **very** tight for me to get it off myself."_

_Just as Sakura tugged on Sasuke's black tie, the door burst open. Sasuke nearly jumped in horror upon seeing a grinning Naruto before him._

_"Yatta! It's Uchiha Naruto making time!" Naruto cheered, a bottle of champagne in one hand and three glasses in the other._

_Sasuke kicked Naruto in the face._

_"DOBE WHAT THE FUCK?"_

_"NARUTO GET OUT OF HERE!"_

_"BUT I NEED TO MAKE SURE UCHIHA NARUTO WILL BE OKAY ONCE YOU'RE FINISHED!"_

_"GET OUT BEFORE I MAKE SURE YOU'LL NEVER HAVE UZUMAKI SASUKE!"_

_"TEME THAT'S GROSS!"_

_"THEN DON'T MAKE JOKES ABOUT UCHIHA NARUTO!"_

_"IT'S NOT A JOKE IF IT'S GONNA HAPPEN!"_

_Sakura couldn't take it. She leaped out of Sasuke's arm and furiously punched Naruto straight through the window, sending him to fly at least 30 feet. Out of all events, Naruto just had to ruin everything on their wedding night..._

_"Ne, Sasuke...Maybe we should start looking for houses again."_

_Sasuke stopped reading the ANBU mission reports, his face rigid and emotionless._

_Sakura bit her lips. "I'm not sure if this is large enough for the baby, let alone safe."_

_She kept glancing at her growing belly. She was well over six months through and their first child would come quicker than they expect, time flying by so fast. _

_"It's annoying to look at places," Sasuke stated coldly, though Sakura knew that was just an excuse. Sasuke was taking this harder than Sakura, trying to keep everything else in their lives stable until the baby came. She knew that Sasuke was just as scared at the aspect of having a child as well. They were so used to just having each other that despite the excitement they had for the incoming baby, it would be a huge change in their lives._

_Sakura sighed. The Uchiha quarters had been destroyed from Pein's destruction years earlier, having nowhere else to turn. They would have to start searching again._

_"It's only one kid, Sakura. It'll be easier to watch the baby here than a large house," Sasuke said. But really, as ideal it was to buy a larger house for a growing family, it was much harder to let this one go, not when so many precious moments took place here..._

_As he lay in the crib, Sousuke struggled to raise his tiny hands to his mother's face. Sakura smiled, leaning in closer so that his fingers grazed her cheek._

_His four-month-old son's laugh was warming to Sasuke's ears. Sasuke watched as his wife played with their son, popping up and down to surprise. With each peek-a-boo, his son's laugh grew louder and louder, echoing throughout their apartment._

_Leaning against the door frame, Sasuke couldn't help but wonder how it would sound if there were more laughter in their lives. Except, in his vision, other voices mingled with Sousuke's. In that case, a bigger family meant a bigger place..._

_Sakura heard keys dangling from behind. She turned around, eyes widening at the sight of her ten-month-old son, pacifier in his mouth, crawling toward her. Around his tiny wrist was a removable ring of keys._

_"Ada, Sousuke," Sakura greet cheerfully, bending down to pick him up. She moaned slightly, the weight of another baby growing inside of her restraining her strength. She was about four months along, yet she felt more tired than she did during labor._

_She lifted his hand, examining the keys. They looked unfamiliar, nothing like the ones to the apartment. "Now where did you find this?"_

_"Two blocks from Hokage Tower."_

_Sasuke walked into their bedroom, staring at Sakura's stunned expression. She knew what he was implying._

_"W-What, Sasuke-kun, when did you-nevermind, why all a sudden-why didn't you tell me-"_

_"Nara's girl is around Sousuke's age," Sasuke explained, gently rubbing the back of Sousuke's head. "So are Hyuuga's boy and Inuzuka's. Naruto just had Nanako, and our child is coming soon. Kids complain when they have to walk far to play with each other."_

_Sakura stared at Sasuke, unable to utter another word. Though Sasuke rarely smiled, there was something different about this one. To have their child, and future one, be surrounded by the warmth of their friends and their own children, Sakura never lectured him that day for making such a rash decision, not when it concerned their children's happiness..._

Sakura's fingers graze slid against the old wall, reminiscing every touch and feel for this place. "I've nearly forgotten that this was our first home..." she said breathlessly."I wonder if Sousuke remembers spending the first year of his life here, ne Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke nodded. He felt Sakura's hand slip into his, then a kiss to his cheeks.

"It's so weird, thinking back how it used to just be me and you. Has it really been twenty years?"

"Ah," he replied quietly. Time did fly faster than anticipated and slowly, the reality that he was much older started to sink deeper and deeper.

* * *

><p>At the front gates, Chihiro looked up nervously to her father, the Kazekage himself, whom held her hand tightly into his. Behind her and Gaara, her aunt and uncle were preparing the camels for the long three-day journey back to Sand Village.<p>

Facing them was the Hokage, his wife Hinata, and their daughter Nanako. They had risen up early in the morning just to say goodbye to them, something that according to her Uncle Kankuro, the Hokage never failed to do every time her father went to Konohagakure. Her father stretched out a hand to Naruto, a small smile gracing his pale face.

"Thank you for the hospitality for the duration of our visit, Naruto," said Gaara.

"Anytime, Gaara," Naruto replied, shaking Gaara's hand. "I'll be looking forward to more joint missions between our villages. It's a good way to expose the next generation to other shinobi."

"Yes, as I will too."

"Oh, we have something as a departing gift," Hinata spoke up, motioning to Nanako.

Nanako understood immediately. She handed a box wrapped in green cloth to the Kazekage, smiling.

"Here is something while you travel," Nanako explained. "They're oak sweets made from the surrounding trees, a Konoha delicacy. Also, okaachan and I made extra chicken and rice in case you run out of food."

"Not to mention, instant ramen too!" Naruto added cheekily.

Temari scoffed. "How are we going to eat that without hot water around?"

"Somebody explain how he's the Hokage," Kankuro joked.

Naruto pouted when he heard Hinata and Nanako giggle. "Geez, you two weirdos will never stop that. I've been Hokage for nearly twenty years!"

Temari's eyebrows furrowed as she observed the rising sun. It was very high. She patted her brother on the shoulder, Gaara glancing back.

"Gaara, we need to head out soon. The desert won't be too kind if we don't beat the sandstorms," Temari stated urgently.

"WAAAAAIIIITTTTT CHIHIRO-CHAAAANNNNNN!"

All eyes turned the owner of the voice, running straight toward them.

"Isn't that...Kenji?" Hinata gasped.

Ahead of the pack was Uchiha Kenji, dashing madly to the front gates. Following behind were Sousuke and Kimiko, both panting heavily. The two appeared to be running for their lives, to the point that they would faint any second.

"Damnit...huff...I haven't...huff...trained...huff...since the hospital...huff..." Sousuke breathed tiredly.

"How the...huff...hell does..huff...Kenji run so...huff...fast with no...huff...breakfast?" Kimiko moaned.

As they reached Naruto and his family, both Sousuke and Kimiko fell to the ground, taking exasperated breaths. Their faces were sweaty and red, exhausted from the running. Kenji, however, didn't even break a sweat.

"What a-a-ano...K-K-Kenji?" Chihiro stuttered nervously.

Finally, Kenji squeezed in between Hinata and Naruto, standing right in front of a blushing Chihiro. After taking a second to catch his breath, Kenji faced his friend, his face panicking.

"Chihiro-chan, when are you coming back? Am I going to see you again? We didn't even see the baby alligators! Or play with oniichan's eagles! Or my okaachan's slugs! Or see the water hole! And you need to eat ramen at Ichiraku's 'cause it's the best-"

"WHAT DID I TELL YOU, GAARA? I INVITE YOU TO ICHIRAKU'S ONLY BECAUSE IT'S AMAZING AND YOU STILL REFUSE! DO YOU NOT SEE PROOF HERE?" Naruto yelled, earning a frustrating "shhhh" from everybody.

"-and I want to play with you again!" Kenji confessed, his eyes big and saddened. "I don't know if I'm going to have a friend like you again in Konoha, Chihiro-chan."

Sousuke stared at his little brother in shock, not expecting that choice of words from a five-year-old kid. "Kenji...you..."

"Ne, ne, Nanako-chan," Kimiko whispered to her best friend. "Don't you think Kenji's way more suave than niisan with Shikana?"

"Definitely. I mean, look, he's doing it right in front of the Kazekage himself!"

"Yeah, his coolness level is just so low."

"He would be a dead in front of Shikana's father."

Sousuke sent them a menacing glare. "I hate you two."

"So? You're going to come back here soon, right Chihiro-chan?" Kenji asked desperately. "O-Or I can go to Suna! By the way, where is Suna? I hope I don't get lost on the way. It's not that far, right? WHY DO YOU HAVE TO LEAVE?"

Sousuke saw the way small tears formed around his little brother's eyes, trying his best not to let them fall. Kenji hugged his bunny toy in comfort, hiding half his face in case he actually started crying. But Sousuke didn't think Kenji looked like a mess, for he was more interested in Chihiro's reaction. She was no longer blushing, but staring at Kenji with great guilt and sadness, unsure of what to do. Sousuke couldn't really blame her; these two were only five, for heaven's sakes! In his head, this scenario would be more romantic if they gave a few more years.

"Kenji-k-k-kun..." Chihiro started, her voice wavering. "I-I-I'll come b-b-back to visit, but p-p-please don't c-cry..."

"I'm not crying! What are you talking about? I'm a boy, we don't cry! Otouchan says boys are supposed to stop girls from crying, not be crybabies!" Kenji laughed, shaking his head vigorously.

Naruto's jaw nearly dropped to the ground. "Teme actually said that? Really?"

Nervously, Chihiro tugged on her father's hand. "O-O-Otouchan, when are you coming b-back to Konoha?"

Gaara sighed helplessly. "I'm not sure. It will be quite a while, Chihiro."

"Ah, the Chuunin Exams!" Temari suddenly exclaimed, clasping her hands together.

"C-Chuunin Exams?" Kimiko repeated.

"Of course! Gaara, send me again this year as a Suna Ambassador and I can take Chihiro with me!" Tenmari suggested, kneeling down to Kenji. "I'm sure the Hokage wouldn't mind Konohagakure hosting it?"

"Don't worry, Temari-san, Naruto-kun would never refuse," Hinata chuckled. "Right?"

"OF COURSE I WILL! I'LL DO ANYTHING TO HELP THE BURNING PASSION OF LOVE OVERCOME THE BOUNDARIES OF DISTANCE! IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL!" Naruto feigned tears of joy.

"Please don't sound like Lee-sensei, please," Sousuke eyed the Hokage dangerously.

"R-Really?" Kenji rubbed his eyes, drying the tears away. "W-When are Chuunin Exams?"

"Um, it's actually five months away," Kankuro answered solemnly. When Kenji was about to cry again, Kankuro quickly added more. "B-B-But the stay will be much longer when it comes! At least a month, right G-G-Gaara?"

Gaara smiled, staring down at his daughter. "Yes, it will."

"See, K-K-Kenji-kun? W-We'll see each other again soon," Chihiro tried to console her friend. "F-f-five months will be quick, right? And maybe you can visit Suna sometime in between."

"FIVE MONTHS IS NOT FAST! THAT'S LIKE 152 DAYS! DO YOU KNOW HOW BIG 152 IS? HUGE!" Kenji cried.

The three teenagers gasped in pure shock.

"H-H-He can calculate how many days are in five months that easily?" Sousuke raised an eyebrow.

"He knows how to count past 20?" Kimiko inquired, her mouth twitching.

"It's settled: Kenji's going to be the perfect boyfriend in a few years," Nanako added, a sweat drop on her forehead.

"My, Kenji is very…" Hinata couldn't finish.

"H-H-H-Hinata-c-c-chan, tell m-me this isn't t-t-teme's kid," Naruto gagged. "He's too adorable."

"I promise we're going to see each other again, K-Kenji-kun," Chihiro smiled warmly to Kenji.

"Y-You sure?"

"Of course. It's a promise," Chihiro stuck out her pinky.

Kenji stared at it, wide-eyed. He shook his head in refusal.

"No, no pinky promise this time."

Instead, he lifted up Pochi the bunny, right in front of Chihiro. Her green eyes widened, her cheeks blushing.

"E-Eh? W-W-What about P-Pochi-"

"Take him. He wants to meet other bunnies in Suna too. You can borrow him, Chihiro-chan. I'll miss him soon so promise to bring him back in five months!"

His elder siblings nearly fainted in horror. To see their little brother hand over Pochi, the same bunny that Kenji cried for days if it was missing for a second, so easily to the Kazekage's daughter, practically a princess of another village...they pinched each other to make sure this was the reality.

"Oh my god, he's giving up Pochi? Really?" Kimiko clasped her hands to her cheeks.

"This is true love right here, true love," Sousuke commented, nearly squealing.

"At five years old..." Nanako giggled.

"He's really giving away Pochi..." Hinata gasped, covering her mouth with her hands.

"COULD YOU GET ANY CUTER? IT'S SO UNFAIR!" Naruto screamed. "SOMETIMES I WANNA SLAP YOU FOR LOOKING LIKE THAT COLD BASTARD AND THEN YOU DO THIS AND ALL I WANNA DO IS CUDDLE YOU LIKE A TEDDY BEAR! WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO WHEN YOU GROW UP? YOU CAN'T GET BETTER THAN THIS!"

"Seriously, why are you Hokage again?" Kankuro asked in disbelief.

"That sounded so pedo, Naruto," Temari sighed. Everybody returned their attention to the two youngest children.

"S-So? You'll bring him back, right? Pochi? Cause he really wants to see the world but I can't do it right now cause okaachan won't let me but if he goes with you, he'll be happy!"

Chihiro no longer looked timid. In fact, she stared at Kenji and the bunny in bewilderment, tiny tears welling around her eyes. She nodded vigorously, smiling at her friend as her hand reached for Pochi.

"Thank you, Kenji-kun. I promise to take care of him," And just before she exited the village with her father, aunt, and uncle, Chihiro turned around to face her friend. "Saynoara, Kenji-kun."

Kenji gulped hard, trying to swallow his tears. He broke into a huge grin. "Sayonara, Chihiro-chan."

He waved goodbye as he saw The Kazekage lift Chihiro until the camel, walking next to them as they departed farther from the village. When their figures diminished in size, unable to anybody to see, Kenji stopped holding it in. He turned to his older sister, hugging her legs as he cried silently. Immediately, Kimiko bent down to her knees, embracing her little brother in comfort.

"Oh, Kenji..." She whispered, brushing his hair.

Sousuke also kneeled next to his siblings, rubbing Kenji in the back. "Hey there, she'll visit. Five months will fly in no time, Kenji."

"I know..." Kenji sniffled. "...b-b-but I never ever said goodbye to a friend before. Ne Naruto-jiichan, when you say goodbye to Kazekage-sama, does it hurt to miss him? Cause he's your friend, right?"

Naruto chuckled softly, ruffling Kenji's hair. "Of course it does. But you know, I feel a lot better because I know he's has to return home to take care of his village, doing something good for his people. Chihiro needs to return home to become a Suna-nin, just like you will become one for Konoha. If you start seeing it that way, it starts to hurt less."

"Everything will be fine, Kenji," Kimiko reassured him. "If not, then we'll take you to Sunagakure if we have to! Right, niisan?"

Sousuke nodded, smiling. "Even then, we can help you write letters to her."

Kenji released himself from Kimiko, wiping the last of his tears. He glanced at everybody; from his siblings to Naruto's family...he didn't know how to thank them. If anything, at least he had them and the village.

* * *

><p>From above a tree branch, staring down at the front gates of Konoha, Sakura sighed dreamily.<p>

"Just how...did our boys end up being so sweet?"

Sasuke responded with a scornful scowl. It didn't take an idiot to figure out that Sakura was indirectly insulting him, but he couldn't really blame her. After he had those kids, Sasuke's only goal was to make sure they didn't stir in his direction. Thankfully, their course moved to the complete opposite. He wondered, no, he was sure, that his children would not be the same without Sakura as their mother.

"Kenji's a lot happier than Sousuke and Kimiko at his age, don't you think?" Sakura commented.

Sasuke nodded. "He never saw us at our worst."

He didn't know how long that would last. Sousuke and Kimiko had witnessed their parents fight quite early on, but Kenji hadn't. He still had his innocence, but even that would go away. Like Sousuke, Kenji will grow up from the happy, go-lucky kid he is now. One day, Kenji will have to experience his first kill and when that happened, Sasuke and Sakura wouldn't know how to deal with that. Would Kenji take it calmly, full of empathy, like Kimiko did? Or will he be irrational and distant like Sousuke, nearly defining his life for the worse?

That thought had crossed their minds often, wondering how Kenji would turn out. In the end, they knew that when the time came, Kenji would learn how to deal with it in his own, unique way. There was something about having teenagers and a toddler at the same time that made one paranoid for the later. As odd as the combination was for children, Sasuke and Sakura couldn't imagine it any other way...

_An eight-year-old Sousuke stared at the white rabbit plushie in his hand, examining it like a corpse. He pulled it up to his eyes, raising an eyebrow. "Why?"_

_"Your mother and I bought it for you," Sasuke replied in a bored tone. Sakura had insisted buying a gift for Sousuke after working so hard to being to the top of his class, and Sasuke, wanting to finish the deal, bought the first thing he saw at the toy shop._

_Apparently, it wasn't the best idea, for Sousuke threw it at his father's face._

_"I'M A BOY, IDIOT! I'M NOT GONNA HAVE TEA PARTIES WITH A STUPID BUNNY!"_

_Slowly, the bunny fell from Sasuke's face, revealing his contemptuous glare toward Sousuke..._

_"Ah it's so cute!" Kimiko squealed as she hugged the bunny close._

_"Good," Sasuke sighed. Finally, it wouldn't be a waste of money. "Your brother didn't like it, so you can have it."_

_"Eh? Niisan didn't like it?" Kimiko blinked._

_Sasuke wanted to slap himself. Of course, he shouldn't say such things to the one girl who looked up to Sousuke like no one else, doing everything he did. It was a terrible mistake on his part._

_Once more, the bunny found himself on Sasuke's face.._

_"I DON'T LIKE IT EITHER!" Then, Kimiko marched away. Kids these days..._

_Sasuke wasn't sure how or when it started, but he found Sousuke and Kimiko very annoying. Terribly annoying. And they weren't even teenagers yet._

_"OTOUSAN! Niisan's a freakin' cheater! He did a Replacement Jutsu in a taijutsu-only spar!" Kimiko entered the house, screaming._

_"Me? You cheated with your stupid clone!" Sousuke yelled._

_"It's not my fault if you get distracted if my clone transformed into Shikana!"_

_"I did not get distracted by Shikana! I was caught off guard! That was low!"_

_"That shouldn't affect the battle directly! You used your jutsu first!"_

_"Did not!"_

_"Did too!"_

_"Did not!"_

_"DO YOU WANT TO TAKE IT ON AGAIN?"_

_"OH YOU'RE ON!"_

_There was no way in hell he was going to deal with just these two alone like this. If only they could be babies again, barely able to talk, just be cute by babbling and waving. And then, a dark idea sprung in his head. All he needed was Sakura to come home, kick the two kids out of the house for the night..._

_"WHAT? PREGNANT?" Sousuke and Kimiko screamed simultaneously upon Sakura telling them that another child was coming. Sasuke could have sworn some rice bits from their mouth landed on his face, though he wasn't expecting a apology from those two._

_"W-W-What? But okaasan, isn't it kinda...well...sudden..." Sousuke muttered nervously. "I m-mean, I just became a genin."_

_"And I'm about to graduate," Kimiko continued. "We want to help, but by then, all those missions will pile up."_

_"And then the Chuunin Exams might get in the way," Sousuke sighed. "Then there's the huge age difference. I mean, are we going to a good brother and sister to it?"_

_"Don't worry, I'm be taking a maternity leave from the hospital for a while," Sakura reassured them. "The only change happening is chores, really. I might have you two watch the baby occasionally, but it won't conflict with your missions."_

_"But okaasan, we don't want to make the baby feel neglected by not being around," said Kimiko._

_"What? Have more faith in yourself!" Sakura laughed. "Just because he's going to be very young doesn't mean distance. If you two treat the baby like you two treat each other, everything will be amazing."_

_Sasuke nearly choked on his tea. Sakura had no idea how wrong she was; had she not seen those two try to murder each other when they spar..._

_In the delivery room, Kimiko sighed heavily at the sight of their newborn brother in their mother's arms. "Mou, I was hoping for a girl."_

_"Don't be a sore loser," Sousuke smirked victoriously as Kimiko slapped a bill in his hand. "Ne, ne, okaasan, what's his name?"_

_"Well..." Sakura glanced over to Sasuke, who nodded affirmitively. "We were thinking since you two have been so helpful during the past few months that you guys can decide."_

_"Eh? Really?" Kimiko's eyes sparkled. "Y-Y-You're sure?"_

_"Hai!" Sakura nodded assertively._

_"Psh, don't let Kimi do it. It's probably something stupid and girly."_

_"No it's not! At least mine's will sound normal! Yours is probably gonna something out the 1001 Saltwater Specimens, you nerd!"_

_"I'm not a nerd!"_

_"Come on, you're starting to put textbooks in my room because you have no space."_

_Sasuke frowned. Despite the joys of having a new baby brother, those two still couldn't stop arguing. Only Kimiko was capable of breaking Sousuke's calm, collected personae he was born with._

_"If you're so sure, what's your brilliant idea?" Sousuke crossed his arms._

_"Kenji!" Kimiko snapped. She was not expecting Sousuke's eyes to widen in pure shock, no comeback taunts three seconds later. "Eh? What's wrong with you?"_

_"Iie, it's just...I was thinking of 'Kenji' too..."_

_Sakura and Sasuke had to force a breath out. This was one of the golden moments where Sousuke and Kimiko agreed on something. And Sakura was more than delighted that this was the perfect opportunity. She looked down at Kenji, smiling as he stirred in her arms._

_"Kenji, it is..." Sasuke thought the name fit so well for the newest member of the family..._

_After months playing with their little brother Kenji, Sousuke and Kimiko found no reason not to learn certain baby care to relieve the stress from their parents. Really, they underestimated the task greatly. Sasuke always thought he had difficulty taking care of babies, but those two made him look like the greatest caretaker in the world._

_"Damnit Kimi, that's not how you change a diaper!"_

_"Well you can't make it too tight either! He'll cry!"_

_"But if it's too loose, he's going to pee everywhere and we'll have to clean the house again!"_

_"Stop over-thinking it niisan and just-AHHH HE'S GONNA TAKE A DUNK!"_

_Sasuke started to have second thoughts of the possibility of Sousuke and Kimiko babysiting Kenji. If ever..._

_It was only in the middle of the day, yet Sasuke couldn't help but notice how fatigued Sakura was. He was reading mission reports when Sakura grudgingly walked in. She landed on the bed, sprawled her hands everywhere, not even caring that one managed to slap across Sasuke's face._

_"I finally put Kenji to sleep," Sakura answered tiredly, not waiting for Sasuke to ask._

_Marking his mission reports for later, Sasuke was about to tuck into bed next to Sakura for a nap, when two voices suddenly exploded from the room next door._

_"I get it, niisan! You don't have to rub it in all the time!"_

_"I'm just saying, if you're going to utilize the Sharingan more, you have to improve your genjutsu-"_

_"Says the one who doesn't even have it yet."_

_"Whatever, but there's a huge potential and you don't even use it!"_

_"Of course I do! Kakashi-jiji's teaching me a special Kamui that doesn't require the Mangekyou! Sharingan isn't just for genjutsu, you little stick-to-the-stupid-books-"_

_Sasuke groaned upon hearing Kenji wail from the nursery. There was no way in hell he was going to get up again. Not when he was in such a comfortable position in the bed. And according to Sakura's head turning to face the pillow, she didn't either._

_Luckily, Sousuke and Kimiko actually had brains, as Sasuke could hear their footsteps running toward the nursery._

_"Ahhh Kimi, check if he did a number two!"_

_"No you do it!"_

_"Well that has be the reason he's crying!"_

_Sasuke scoffed; and people say Sousuke's the smart one._

_"Whatever! Ne, ne Kenji, look! Peek a boo!"_

_Kenji continued to cry, even louder than before. Sakura was about to step out of bed until Sasuke held her down, an arm to her waist. She gave him a questioning look._

_"Let them take care of it," Sasuke muttered, closing his eyes. After months of observing Sousuke and Kimiko working together for Kenji, Sasuke couldn't help but realize how their arguments died down slowly. Nonetheless, it was still prone to happen._

_" Kenji look! Look at niisan! See? He's doing funny faces! Isn't it-ACK STOP CRYING!"_

_"STOP SCREAMING AT HIM KIMI!"_

_"YOU'RE THE ONE WITH THE STUPID LOOKS!"_

_"Ahhh what do we do, what do we do-Oh look, Kenji! He's a cute bunny! Yeah, yeah, cute bunny eh?"_

_"Baka niisan! That's dirty and old-hey, he stopped crying."_

_So many years later, that bunny found an owner, and soon, a name for Kenji to learn and care for nearly every day of his life..._

_Like any parent, Sasuke and Sakura were more than ecstatic when waiting for Kenji to speak his first word. He was at the age where he was starting to make sounds from his mouth, even if they were gibberish. He just didn't expect the first word to be, well, unconventional._

_Sakura had been reading to a thirteen-month-old Kenji when Sousuke, washing the dishes, accidentally dropped a plate as it crashed into pieces. Sasuke guessed Sousuke must have stepped on a piece by accident because he heard Sousuke screaming "Fuck!"_

_Then, the horror came when Kenji repeated that exact same word from his sweet voice. "Fuck."_

_Sakura punished Sousuke through gruesome training for that entire month, for the young boy would come home everyday and faint instantly on the couch, not even having the strength to eat dinner..._

_"Oniichan! Pochi wants more yakisoba!" Kenji loudly demanded on the kitchen table. _

_Sasuke saw the way Sousuke's face turned irritated, hearing the words "damn bunny" and "isn't even alive." Sousuke was even starting to stir the noodles furiously. Either way, Sasuke wasn't worried. It was just a phase many children went through (though he couldn't help but wonder how Sousuke and Kimiko didn't)._

_"Hurry oniichan! Pochi's super hungry!" _

_"Hai, hai," Sousuke replied. Sousuke glanced back at his little brother, who was smiling happily as he chattered cheerfully with Pochi the bunny. Sasuke caught the warm smile gracing Sousuke's face. Apparently, even Sousuke liked watching the childish ways of Kenji too, even if he had to deal with it in the most strangest ways…_

_No one could deny that Kenji was a strange kid, but Sasuke never thought he had trouble with friends. Kenji easily got along with Lee's son Gaito, Shikamaru's son Chomaru, and even the two younger Hyuuga boys, yet they were a few years older, too busy with the Academy to play with Kenji. Even the older ones, such as Nanako, Shikana, and Koji, treated him like a little brother, but even they were stressed with numerous missions. Heck, even Morino Ibiki, the Head Interrogator himself, didn't mind being around Kenji, who was surprisingly not afraid of him._

_ When it came to people outside of their circle of friends, however, it was a whole different matter._

_"We've said it a billion times, Kenji, you can't play with us!" One boy yelled angrily._

_"Eh? Why?" Kenji asked, puzzled._

_"Y-Y-You have a cheat with that sharingan!"_

_"Sou ya! It'll be too easy for you! And we can't have you being a showoff!"_

_"W-What? B-But I don't even have the sharingan yet," Kenji tried to reason with them, but Sasuke could see that he was failing with this group of kids._

_"Tch don't lie! You're going to use a genjutsu and make us go crazy!"_

_"Y-Yeah! Even my uncle went crazy 'cause Uchiha Itachi used your clan's stupid eyes back then!"_

_"U-U-Uchiha Itachi? I don't know who he is..." Kenji clutched Pochi tightly. "D-Do you? Um, what did he do?"_

_"Don't play dumb, Kenji! The Uchiha clan isn't as mighty as you think!"_

_Sasuke sighed as he watched from the distance. Even after so many years, there were still people who could not forgive Sasuke and the Uchiha clan, so his own children became targets. He knew that Sousuke and Kimiko endured similar moments in their youth, but to see that it was alive even during Kenji's time... Sasuke's heart ached slightly, not looking forward to his ANBU duties that day..._

_Sasuke watched as his three kids were playing hide-and-seek. Four-year-old Kenji was the seeker, innocently counting to 10. Sousuke and Kimiko, being the cruel and lazy siblings they were, used a Transformation Jutsu to disguise as trees. He could hear them snickering to each other when Kenji finished. What none of them expected, however, that Kenji would only look back and forth for a minute, and then walked up their disguised forms, smiling cheerfully._

_"Found ya! Oniichan, oneechan, can you guys teach me that jutsu tomorrow?" Kenji asked as if it was the most normal thing to do._

_As the jutsu wore off, Sasuke could clearly see the shocked expressions on their faces. They never looked so foolish._

_"W-W-W-What t-t-t-the-K-Kenji how d-d-did you-"_

_"S-S-S-So f-f-f-fast-oh m-m-my-g-g-god-"_

_It was the first moment that showed the slightest hint of Kenji's abilities, and it greatly intrigued the Uchiha patriarch. It was indeed rare for an Uchiha to possess chakra sensory, for it could enhance the use of the sharingan..._

_A kunai straight in the bull's eye, Sasuke had shown the young Kenji. It was his first day of training him, so Sasuke wasn't going to expect much. He walked up to the target, pulling out the kunai for Kenji to throw. Taking a huge gulp, Kenji threw the kunai. Unsurprisingly, the kunai did not hit the red dot. The shocking factor was, though, that the kunai darted straight past Sasuke's ear, the tiniest amount of blood trickling down the lobe. Sasuke rarely let a weapon even get that close to him, whether he had his guard up or not. Not even S-ranked criminals came that close._

_"Ah! I missed!" Kenji pouted. "Otouchan, can I have another kunai? I wanna try again!"_

_Sasuke gulped, his eyes widening slightly. He wondered if this boy could actually kill him one day without even realizing it..._

_Sousuke had returned from the Snow Country Mission just a few days, and even Kenji knew that something was different about his older brother. The hard part was, in Sousuke's opinion, how Kenji would help Sousuke. _

_Sousuke had locked himself in his room that one day. He wasn't exactly refusing visitors, but more like he preferred not to see anybody. As much as it hurt his young heart, Kenji realized this quickly. Even so, it didn't stop him from trying._

_Sasuke watched as Kenji carefully knocked on Sousuke's door, hugging Pochi in his other arm. _

_"A-Ano, oniichan?" Kenji stuttered. "D-Do you want to play today? O-Or we can train if you want to. I'll pick up your kunai if you want to do target training by yourself." _

_No response. Kenji gulped, staring down at his feet as small tears welled up in his eyes. _

_"It's okay. We can play tomorrow. Or when you want to. U-Um, okaachan said dinner will be at seven today." Slowly, Kenji walked back to his own room, eventually playing with Pochi all by himself._

_Sasuke wanted to break his own son's door and lecture Sousuke for being so selfish and moody. He didn't care what happened in Snow Country; he just wanted Sousuke to look at Kenji's face breaking down and see how the so-called "perfect gentleman" would react to that. That foolish son of his didn't realize how much this was affecting those he loved, specifically Kenji…_

_"Ne, ne, otouchan? Why are there only girls working at the hospital?" Kenji asked him after visiting their mother at the hospital._

_Sasuke glanced down at him. "Medical ninjas require perfect chakra control. Girls mature earlier and faster than boys, so naturally, they tend to have better chakra control."_

_"So boys can't be doctors?" Kenji seemed sadden. Somehow, Sasuke could see where this was going._

_"Iie, it'll just be more difficult. You have to train harder to perfect chakra control than they do," Sasuke explained. "Look, there are some male doctors there, you just haven't seen them. It's possible."_

_"Really?" Kenji's smile grew wider. " You'll help me with chakra control, right?"_

_Sasuke's lips curved upward slightly, revealing the smallest hint of a smile. At five-years-old, despite having less than a month of training, Kenji was already building a dream. Yet, Sasuke was also worried. It wasn't so long ago that Sousuke proclaimed his wish of becoming a medic-nin like Sakura, only to have that dream destroyed when his chakra control wasn't capable for medical ninjutsu. _

_Sasuke always wondered what would happened if he never allowed Sousuke's sharingan to arise early in life, possibly changing his chakra control. But even that couldn't be fixed, so for the moment, the least he could was help Kenji achieve that goal. Besides, they needed at least one kid to follow in their mother's footsteps, and he doubted Kimiko had the patience to be a doctor anyway..._

Kenji was only five-years-old, yet Sasuke felt he had already seen so much coming from his youngest. He had great difficulty imagining how Kenji would turn out in a few years. Secretly, he hoped he maintained the childish happiness that surrounded their lives. Just as he was excited and proud to see Sousuke and Kimiko grow into the people the are today, so would Sasuke eagerly anticpate that adventure again with Kenji.

_"_Kenji wants to be a medic-nin," Sasuke stated to his wife.

Sakura giggled. "I know; he doesn't barge into a surgery because he's bored, Sasuke-kun. I probably have to take over his training earlier than expected. You think I should start after he graduates?"

"Only if I get him to work on chakra control first," Sasuke smirked.

"Because you just have oh-so-excellent control," Sakura rolled her eyes, remembering the tree-climbing exercise Kakashi put Team 7 through in their genin days. She could never forget the Naruto's and Sasuke's faces as they watched her beat them to the top of the tree.

Sasuke sighed. "Fine. You can have him after I teach him the initiation jutsu."

"That's more like it."

"But I get him back when he has the sharingan."

"Go ahead. Once he's a chuunin, I'll get serious with his medical training."

"And if him becoming a chuunin and gaining the sharingan clash?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

Sakura scowled. She jumped down to the ground, fixing her skirt. She glanced up, hands on her hips.

"We can bicker about Kenji's training later. Now, how about that amazing anniversary you got planned?"

Smirking, Sasuke landed next to his wife, taking her hand into his.

* * *

><p>WHOO! Got a chapter just before New Year's! Face it guys: No matter what Naruto story I do, I gotta pull an "Uchiha Naruto" joke, even if it gets old.<p>

Anyway, small commentary, don't have much time to concentrate on this. You guys have just figured out why Kenji's so young: Sasuke got tired of older kids. Yeah, it's a cynical reason but I always thought it fit Sasuke in some weird way (a little OOC-ness maybe?) Anyway, the actual story telling is over, but there will be flashbacks of both SasuSaku and their kids. In my opinion, one of the sweetest ways to celebrate an anniversary is to go down some sort of memory lane, which is a win-win situation for both them and the readers. Us mainly since we get to see more of them before the children. I thought flashbacks are the best way for their background more rather than just describing them in the first chapter or whatever. It was best to leave it to the end than at the beginning. Basically, I wanted their character to develop first as people and then show their background to explain why they are like that (hopefully I succeeded but let me know what you think!).

Man, I really want to make a one-shot where the kids meet some revived Itachi and talk to him, but that's kinda weird and impossible, so...sigh.

Any questions regarding this story and anything really, just message me!

Again, Happy New Years!


	19. Training, and the Uchiha Warrioress

Chapter 18: Training, and the Uchiha Warrioress

You guys hear me complain enough about senior year, so I'm not gonna yap about it...CUZ FINALS ARE OVER! NOW WE JUST CRUISING THROUGH SECOND SEMESTER!

I typed in Naruto in Tumblr and I was so excited that this story got mentioned EEK! I forgot who it was, but THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! OH yeah, I'm really, REALLY tempted to write a super-cliche Naruto fanfic but I have a catch: it's from Shikamaru's perceptive. Yeah, which means it'll probably end up sounding really cynical but he's growing into being my favorite character, so I would like to try that. I probably won't take it seriously, maybe make it satirical/parody. Not sure, but I really wanna try to do super cliche stuff for the heck of it! But then, I have other stories to take care of like "Stubborn" which has been long neglected...

And I also saw this thing where somebody was ranting about Naruto fanfiction authors for thinking ANBU is the rank after jonin and there's no actual exams; they're handpicked by the Hokage...

I feel awkward. I ramble too much. Why do I write author's notes because that takes away too many words and everybody would rather read the darn chapter when they open this? My word count would go down so much if I took away all my author's notes...

I HOPE YOU GUYS CAN STILL ENJOY THE STORY ANYWAY!

* * *

><p>The stack of empty plate slowly grew higher than Sousuke would have liked. Barely touching his own food, Sousuke watched in amazement at his little brother gobbling down his plate of rice, seaweed salad, fish, and everything glorious that came with the breakfast. They were at a local diner, sitting outside, and Sousuke had already lost count of how many plates Kenji finished. Kimiko had departed for "important business" and Nanako went to work at the hospital, leaving just him and Kenji alone.<p>

"Kenji, slow down," Sousuke told him, smiling weakly. "You'll get a stomach ache."

Kenji finished the plate, leaning against his chair sighing cheerfully.

"Oniichan, another!"

With each plate Kenji asked for, Sousuke felt his wallet weigh less and less.

"Oh? Out of the house for breakfast?"

Both Kenji and Sousuke looked up, seeing Kakashi's masked face, a pink book in his hand.

" Kakashi-jichan! Ohayou!" Kenji greeted.

"Ohayou, Kakashi-jiisan," Sousuke welcomed. "Did the Hokage give you a break today?"

"Yes, Naruto can be quite stressful sometimes. Kenji, where's Pochi? Is he sick?"

At this point, Kenji's eyes were teary and miserable. Panicking, Sousuke ordered another plate for his little brother.

"Um, d-d-don't mention it to Kenji. It's a long story."

"Understood," Kakashi replied, ready to change the topic. "So your wrist is healing up well?"

Sousuke nodded, glancing at his bandaged arm. "Okaasan won't let me train for three weeks, but I think that's too much."

"She's overbearing because she loves you," Kakashi chuckled. "But it's nice to know you listen to her. I'm assuming your wrist won't heal in time for ANBU Exams?"

At this, Sousuke smiled weakly. "Actually, I dropped, but it's all good."

Kakashi lowered his book slightly, staring at Sousuke's face. Despite Sousuke being a happy kid, Kakashi could always differentiate the real and false smiles. _The smile that hides all his worries and pain..._He was familiar with it, knowing it beyond Sousuke's birth.

Unlike many people that heard Sousuke's sudden decision, Kakashi did not seem surprised. In fact, it was as if he expected this. Kakashi tucked away his pink book and face Sousuke directly.

"Good decision. You wouldn't have passed."

At this point, Sousuke's eyes widened. However, considering this was Kakashi speaking, a man he had known since birth, he shouldn't be shocked by his honesty. Understanding Sousuke's expression, Kakashi proceeded to explain.

"No one denies that you're powerful, Sousuke. Many kages would have trouble defeating you. You are one of the strongest ninja that Konoha has ever seen. However, you lack the ANBU mentality. It's not something you attain easily. ANBU seems more suited for Kimiko, not you; her mindset is stronger than yours. Tell me, how many assassination missions have people requested you for?"

Sousuke stiffened. "78." He didn't like how well he knew that number.

"And how many did you accept?"

"Zero," Sousuke answered uncomfortably. He knew where Kakashi was going with this.

"Sousuke, you were not born to atone your father's sins, but to represent the love of your parents. Yes, he killed many people, but you do not need to make it up with your nindo. It hurts your father to see you carry his burden."

Sousuke bit his lips. "Yeah, b-but…"

The scene of him killing his first person flashed before him, the scent of blood dominant in his memories. He could remember how lifeless those eyes were, how it was all his fault. No matter how cruel the enemy was to torture Shikana, he could have had a family waiting for him at home. Or a fiancée waiting to be wed. And Sousuke took that away.

"You're a good person, Sousuke, and killing won't change that. I'm not telling you to force it out, but let it come naturally. Have more faith in the person you are," Kakashi said kindly.

Watching Kenji burp loudly, oblivious to the deep conversation between the other two, Sousuke smiled hesitantly. He couldn't help but agree with Kakashi about being ANBU. Maybe that wasn't the right path for a guy like him. He would probably ruin any mission given, freeze up on a necessary kill. Perhaps, he needed to stop working so hard for a goal he didn't know about.

_So what now?_

* * *

><p>Sakura looked puzzled as they arrived at the Training Grounds. It was the same area they used to train and practice in their genin days, back when she, Sasuke, and Naruto were Team 7. The tree leaves rustled with the incoming breeze. She watched as Sasuke walked forward, placing a good distance in between them. All she could see was the Uchiha clan symbol, proudly on his back, suddenly remember how she used to stare at it in the past. She used to always trail behind him and Naruto, wondering if she would ever catch up.<p>

Strange how life works: she currently had the same fan symbol on her back too.

Sasuke stopped walking forward, turning around to face his wife directly.

"Fight me."

Sakura tried to hold back a laugh. Seriously, out of all the things he could have done on their anniversary...

It fit so perfectly from him, Sakura asked herself why should was thinking of anything else. As long as he didn't take her out to dinner, then she knew he was sane.

"Are you sure? I don't want to send you the hospital on our special day," Sakura mocked lightheartedly, crossing her arms against her chest.

He smirked, that cocky smirk she didn't know how she fell in love with. "I haven't sparred with you in years."

"So you want to go to the hospital?"

Sasuke stiffened slightly. "Hn."

Last time, they had sparred to please Sousuke's and Kimiko's curiosity of who was better. It had been a rough stalemate that seem to last forever. Sasuke was about to finish it with a defeating blow until discovering she had another, deceptive trick up her sleeve. She had leaned into his ear, teasing him with the prospects of her plans for that night in bed, catching Sasuke off guard long enough for Sakura to knee him in the stomach. It scared him knowing how easily distracted he got from her voice spilling such dirty words. If an enemy knew this, transformed into Sakura and said those words, Sasuke would probably be a dead man on the battlefield.

"Tch," it pained him that his children were somewhat right; maybe he was slightly perverted, but he refused to admit openly.

True that they often trained as a team with Naruto, but training was also a special time for just the two, especially before their three kids came along...

_Only three months since Sasuke returned to the village, yet Naruto had wanted Team 7 to reform. His first initiation: train together again._

_For the first week, Sasuke mainly sparred with Naruto, seeing as he was the only one he made any real contact. However, Sasuke couldn't hide his interest in Sakura's development. He was not stupid to think that she would remain the same weak, little girl. He was not immune to the rumors that she became Tsunade's apprentice, inheriting the Hokage's medical prowess and monstrous strength. Sasuke knew she had grown stronger; the real question was simply how much._

_So one day, he took the first step._

_"Fight me."_

_He remembered the shocked expressions running from Sakura, Naruto, and even Kakashi. She had been hesitant at first; he couldn't help but wonder if she forgave him yet for nearly killing her twice back then. Slowly, she agreed and they took their respective stances before charging at each other._

_Yes, he showed no surprise upon watching her split the ground with her bare fist. Or that her agility had sped up. Not even the fact that she developed new jutsus on her own._

_He just didn't expect his sharingan activating within the first thirty seconds..._

_The sun had long set, the darkness taking over the day. He blocked another raging fist from Sakura, his free hand catching an incoming kick to his side. He aimed to elbow her, but she quickly escaped from his hold. She jumped backwards, standing defensively as she breathed hard._

_It was strange fighting Sakura; they had started dating only two weeks ago, barely "official." But it was comfortable. Usually, he preferred sparring with Naruto but now, he grown to like this time with Sakura. The more she trained with him, the more he got to watch her grow. Throughout it all, she was by his side._

_Again, she ran straight at him, the green chakra emitting in her fists. However, Sasuke had had a counter-attack brewing in his head. He caught both her fisst, slamming his body right on top her. Soon, they both found themselves on the ground, their faces barely touching._

_Sakura blushed at the closeness, earning her a smirk from Sasuke. Cute: she still blushed despite that he was already hers. He was about to capture those soft lips of hers, just like he did yesterday, but then an idiotic voice interrupted._

_"TEME YOU CALL THIS DATE NIGHT? YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO TAKE HER OUT TO DINNER! IF YOU'RE JUST TRAINING, YOU SHOULD HAVE INVITED ME! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? OH MY GOD THIS IS THE START OF ME BEING LEFT OUT, EVENTUALLY BECOMING THE IGNORED THIRD WHEEL AND WE'LL END UP AS STRANGERS NOOOOOO!"_

_Actually, Sasuke should be asking that question to Naruto instead, not vice versa..._

_"Sasuke-kun, why do you hold back?" Sakura asked him suddenly while healing a bruise on the cheek, courtesy of Uzumaki Naruto._

_Sasuke didn't answer, only staring at Sakura blankly._

_"This hit," She motioned to the bruise. "You could have avoided it easily, I even saw your hand move. Then you didn't defend yourself. Also, I thought you missed punching Naruto when he was wide open, but really, it looked like you redirected it."_

_He stayed silent as Sakura continued to heal him. He didn't want to admit openly that she was right; he did feel like he was holding back. More than necessary._

_Maybe because he clearly remembered how just less than a year ago, he was strangling Sakura by the neck, ready to murder her with her own kunai. And another time, where he created a chidori so large that it could have killed Naruto..._

_Cringing, Sasuke stared at the barely-living fish before him uneasily. He and Sakura were at the training grounds again, and she had insisted he learned some medical ninjutsu for a two-month long mission. This was her way of knowing that he'll always be safe and sound._

_"You have pretty good chakra control, so at least learn the basics!" Sakura pleaded, showing him the proper hand seals and chakra flow._

_Sasuke sighed. "I'm not going to die, Sakura."_

_"Please, Sasuke-kun? I'm worried that you'll get hurt, and I won't always be there to heal you! What if you get infected-"_

_Sakura continued rambling about all the things that could happen to Sasuke, but he wasn't paying attention. He could only think about how it was her worrying about not being able to protect him, when he thought the same about her too. He had been in her position too many times, but now he finally understood what it meant to have somebody worry. He sighed in defeat, shaking his head in front of the fish._

_"Show it to me again."_

_Happily, she performed the technique, his sharingan studying her movements, but never missing the smile on her face. Unfortunately, that didn't last long when he accidentally killed the stupid fish. And the next set of ten..._

_Nearly falling off the port from the blast, Sakura stared in pure shock at the size of giant fireball Sasuke created from the tips of his mouth. It nearly spanned the entire lake, tiny areas boiling from the intense heat. Finally, Sasuke stopped the jutsu, spitting out some tiny fireballs into the lake. He turned to Sakura, noticing her nervous expression. He glanced briefly at her ring finger, the engagement ring sparkling._

_In two months, that engagement ring would be replaced with a golden band._

_"It's tradition for an Uchiha to teach their partner the clan techniques," Sauke explained. "This is the initiation jutsu all clansmen must perform to become adults."_

_Sakura gulped. Judging from the size and complex hand seals, the Great Fireball Jutsu itself required a large amount of chakra. But, one aspect disturbed her greatly._

_"Sasuke-kun," She began uneasily. "I'm not sure if I have an affinity for the fire techniques."_

_Ignoring her, he proceeded to show her the hand seals once more, this time slower._

_"Create these seals, concentrate as much chakra as you can in your chest, hold for two seconds, then release."_

_He stepped back for Sakura to have room. Just as Sasuke had shown her, Sakura created the seal pattern, taking in a huge breath. In a few seconds, she had spitted out a fireball. It wasn't large like Sasuke's, but it certainly wasn't the size of a tennis ball either. Feeling her lungs burning, Sakura stopped the jutsu, breathing heavily. There were a few burns across her upper lip, but Sasuke said that was normal._

_"Oh my god...I actually did it!" She couldn't hide the delight in her voice. "Sasuke-kun… how? My natural affinity isn't for fire."_

_Sasuke wrapped his arms around her waist, his cheek pressed against hers._

_"I never said you didn't."_

_"And how are you so sure?"_ _She didn't like the way he was smirking._

_"Let me put it this way," Sasuke whispered into her ear, one hand descending lower to "that" part, causing Sakura to squeak. Why he was touching there in a public place, she didn't know._

_"I wasn't supposed to teach you this technique until **after** we're married."_

_A huge blush crept to Sakura's face when Sasuke patted the front of that area. "S-S-S-So b-b-because w-w-we d-d-did-t-t-that-I-c-can-"_

_Sasuke chuckled darkly, kissing her on the cheek. She was so easy to embarrass, even if it was just between the two of them..._

_Silence. That was what filled their house when Sasuke and Sakura landed on their bed, breathing in exhaustion. They were so tired that they didn't even realize it was still the middle of the day, the sun still high outside their window. Since they woke up at 5 AM to a nine-month old Kimiko crying, they had been on the move. _

_Sasuke prepared Kimiko's baby formula. Sakura changed Sousuke's diapers. Sasuke cleaned up the mess upon Kimiko pushing off her food. Sakura ran to the hospital to check on the outcome of each surgery. Sasuke bandaged Sousuke's knee after tripping on a dinosaur toy. Sakura came home, allowing Sasuke to head to ANBU headquarters, lead a short meeting, then buy groceries on the way home. Sakura soothed a crying Kimiko when Sousuke pinched her. Sasuke ran back to the market to buy more diapers. Sakura prepared the bath for Sousuke. Sasuke chased down Sousuke for running away from his bath time. Finally, both children feel asleep, giving Sasuke and Sakura a moment of peace._

_Sasuke groaned upon realizing how high the sun was; it was still the afternoon, yet it felt like they died that whole day. If he wanted to be exact, this had been the routine for nearly a year._

_They looked at each other for the first time that day. They knew what the other was thinking, for it was exactly the same. Before the children, their lives were stressful enough with him as the ANBU Captain and her as the head doctor. Now, this was hectic. They barely had time to be alone, their nights filled with random patterns of their children crying._

_It scared them how much crazier it would get. Sasuke's and Sakura's time to improve their abilities, to surpass any ninja, had long disappeared. Now, training would be focused on Sousuke and Kimiko. They had children now, two they loved very dearly and wanted only for them to live their happiest..._

_"Sasuke-kun," Sakura said just as they were about to sleep. "Sousuke...his sharingan isn't coming back soon right?"_

_Sasuke was silent. It had been two days since they sealed that memory away from Sousuke. So far, he was acting normal, as nothing had ever happened. _

_"The earlier I train him, the longer I can delay its activation. His chakra control will be disrupted. His nightmares might go haywire occasionally, but he has to learn how to control on his own. Once he's a genin, he can't have a genjutsu user for a teacher."_

_He would have to start training Sousuke, maybe next week, to counteract the effects. Still, he didn't like the idea. Sousuke was barely five-year-old. His son should be thinking about dinosaurs and action figures, not training. Yet, they had no choice._

_"If you want to, Sasuke..." Sakura started, her voice wavering. "I can take care of Kimiko's training. That way, you can concentrate on Sousuke more."_

_"Iie, I need to train her," Sasuke replied. "The old records said that Uchiha women had difficulty mastering the sharingan; they could barely do simple genjutsus. Her sharingan will probably focus on space ninjutsu, so I'll need Kakashi to help her."_

_To Sasuke's surprise, he heard Sakura giggle. He stared at her suspiciouscly, wondering about her reaction. _

_"I find it very sweet that you already planned how to train them," Sakura spoke softly. "You sound so excited for it that I don't feel left out. I do want to train them too, but I think you need that quality time more than I do."_

_"You're okay with this?" Sasuke's eyes widened._

_Sakura nodded affirmatively. "Don't worry. You're better at basics than I am. Also, they need to learn clan techniques, don't they? If they want to learn taijutsu or medical ninjutsu, they can come to me anytime."_

_He whispered a soft "thank you" to her, just before giving her a short kiss. Soon, they fell asleep, dreaming of what kind of ninja their children would grow up to be..._

Indeed, ever since the children came, training was mainly focused around them. When they weren't using their large backyard, Sasuke or Sakura would take them to this part of the training grounds. Many years ago, the trees used to be destroyed by Sasuke's chidori or Naruto's rasengan, the ground was split by Sakura's fist. Now, it was because of their children.

Their train of thoughts ended as each took their respective stance. Sakura cracked her fists loudly, tapping her heels to the ground. She scoffed as she stared down into Sasuke's deep, black orbs.

"You know you aren't going to last long without your sharingan."

Sasuke smirked; his own wife was taunting him. Picking up a nearby rock, he flicked it up upward, waiting for it to descend. He closed his eyes, envisioning the same woman before him as a teenage girl so many years ago. If he remembered clearly, they had been through this before.

"As you wish."

Then, his eyes opened, flashing red and black. Just as the rock landed on the ground, Sasuke and Sakura charged right at each other.

* * *

><p>Standing in front of the hospital was a tall, brown-haired boy wearing round, thick glasses. He wore the standard flak jacket and black ninja outfit. His green eyes stared at the hospital, mustering up as much courage as he could. Adjusting his glasses, he took in a huge gulp. Then, he took one step closer to the hospital...followed by a million steps backward to the bushes.<p>

"Ahh I can't do this!" he cried.

"BAKA! THIS IS THE 20TH TIME!" Kimiko screamed, popping out from the bushes. She glared at him murderously. "Damnit Outa-kun, stop being such a coward!"

"B-But I can't d-do it K-Kimi," Outa stuttered helplessly. He started walking away. "M-Maybe tomorrow...EEK!"

Kimiko yanked on the collar of his flak jacket. "You said that last time! You promised that you would ask Nanako out when you came back from the mission!"

"I-I-I'm sorry, Kimi!" He apologized anxiously. Kimiko sighed. Though she was close to him, Outa was still frightened of her. It didn't help that she was two inches taller than him.

She didn't like being tough on Outa; next to Sousuke, her teammate Sato Outa was the nicest boy in the village. His only problem was his extreme shyness and low self-esteem, something Kimiko couldn't stand. Ever since the Academy days, Outa held the hugest crush on her best friend Nanako. Really, Kimiko found it very cute. Outa, the son of civillians, fell in love with the Hokage's daughter. Unfortunately, he had been unnecessarily reduced to the "best guy friend" status to Nanako. Still, Kimiko couldn't help by praise the boy for always standing by Nanako's side, no matter how many boys sought after her.

"Look, how many chances did you have but never took? A lot! Just go inside, look for Nanako, then ask her out on a date! You don't even need to say it's a date! Just hanging out with her alone!"

"B-B-But Kimi, what if she says 'No?' It's going to be-"

"THEN YOU TAKE IT LIKE A REAL MAN! Why wouldn't she say 'yes?'"

"B-B-But she only sees me as a friend. And she's so pretty and nice, I can never have h-her."

"Excuses!" Kimiko scoffed. "Outa-kun, be more confident! Think about all the bastards and jerks she dated that broke her heart! And who's the one she turns to comfort? Actually I'm first so I can rip their heads off, but it's _you_! You can do better than those idiots! No matter what happens, take that chance!"

Outa twiddled with his fingers. "I d-d-don't know. I mean, they were a lot bigger, stronger, confident-"

"Man up! Seriously, how did you become a jonin before me?" Kimiko sighed. That was probably the greatest mystery she would never find the answer to. Whenever she went on missions with him, he was hesitant to give out commands. She always ended up screaming at everybody to shut up so they could hear Outa's timid voice.

"Now, you're going to walk up to the front and don't turn back! Got it? If you chicken out again, I'm going to chidori your ass!"

"Ano, um, can you help me-" He backed off at the sight of Kimiko's flaring red eyes.

"GO!"

"HAI KIMI!" It helped that Kimiko created the tiniest chidori, a quiet zap strong enough to get Outa running straight to the hospital. As much as she wanted to climb up a tree to spy on them, she wouldn't. That was a private time meant for her two closest friends; besides, it wasn't like she didn't know the result.

She chuckled to herself. "Nanako-chan is gonna be so happy."

"Well that's just mean, Kimiko."

Kimiko blushed, recognizing that deep voice too well. She shook it off when she faced Hyuuga Koji, who was approaching behind her. She frowned.

"I-I was just encouraging him," Kimiko defended herself. "He can be a real wussy. I have to be hard on him."

"Yet you couldn't tell Outa that my cousin likes him back?" Koji raised an eyebrow, taking a seat next to Kimiko.

"Well, Hyuuga," Kimiko laughed evilly. "That would ruin all the fun. I'm going to love seeing him so confident for the first hour! Then, he'll panick all over again because he's never been on a date and that's where I come in to help him find the right outfit, tell him how girls act, give my awesome pep talks, all the fun stuff that I can't do with niisan because he's too chicken to ask Shikana out!"

Koji laughed. "I should have expected this from you."

"That I have such brilliant plans?"

"That you benefit somehow."

"Hey, at least I'm doing some good here!" Kimiko argued, crossing her arms. "You have to understand how patient I've been waiting for this moment for the last...I dunno, ten years? I'm not that cruel."

"I never said you were," Koji replied, smiling. "Just extremely honest with yourself."

Blushing, Kimiko widened her eyes. "Eh? What do you mean?"

"Sousuke's my best friend, but it's hard to read him. He's always smiling like everything's okay when it's not," Koji explained. "With you, I never have to guess. I'm more comfortable around you. You say whatever's on your mind, whenever you feel like it, no matter how harsh it is. I admire you for that."

Inside, Kimiko felt her stomach churn, as if butterflies fluttered within. Sure, Koji was always nice to her, but it was rare for him to compliment her in this way.

_Ahhh don't overthink it, girl! He's just being friendly ya know?_ She told herself, no matter how much she wanted it to be more. Still, she couldn't stop blushing. To avoid him catching her red face, she looked up to the sky, bringing her knees to her chin.

"Kakashi-jiji said I'm like this because niisan's too nice. I'm the reaction sibling," Kimiko laughed at herself. "Every time somebody wanted to fight him, niisan would walk away. I always ended up being the fighting those idiots up because I couldn't stand them making fun of niisan."

"I remember those days. Sousuke and I always had to hold you back. I still have scars from you thrashing around."

"Would you like me to add more? It's not difficult," Kimiko smirked.

"Is that a challenge?" Koji crossed his arms, clearly interested.

"Depends on whether you take it or not."

"Should I be surprised that you, a chunin, are starting another fight?"

"If you're so confident beating this chunin," Kimiko stood up above Koji, hands on her hips. "Then I'm sure a duel is nothing."

At this, Koji grinned. "I hope you're more fun than your brother. Transforming into a naked Shikana takes him out in five minutes."

"You're so cruel...I like it," Kimiko chuckled darkly. "Don't worry. I'm not going to fall for petty tricks like those." _Unless you decide to, you know..._She stopped that thought immediately.

"Let's make it more interesting: Loser buys the winner lunch. Sound good?"

"I didn't know you wanted to go broke, Hyuuga."

"Cocky, aren't you, Uchiha?"

"It's not cocky if I'm right," Kimiko stuck her tongue out, walking in the direction of the training grounds.

Following Kimiko behind, Koji shook his head. "Man, do I miss sparring with you."

"Yeah, I miss kicking your ass too."

"Still the same old Kimiko," Koji chuckled, slowly finding himself walking side by side with his best friend's sister.

* * *

><p>It wasn't long until they spotted newcomers to the training grounds. The two figures had stopped, jumping up to a tree branch to hide their presences. They observed closely as Hyuuga Koji and Uchiha Kimiko immediately started their spar, both the Byaguukan and Sharingan activated the instant they made contact. They watched as the young girl powered up chakra in her left foot, kicking straight to Koji's stomach. He blocked it immediately with his Gentle Fist, maneuvering it to make her trip. However, Kimiko found her landing, placing a palm to the ground and swinging her legs to his ankles. Koji caught his balance, aiming for another chakra point in Kimiko's arm.<p>

They kept sparring, never noticing Kimiko's parents watching from above.

"Hmmm Kimiko's got the upper hand on Koji," Sakura mused, her head resting on her husband's shoulder. "Our little girl's pretty strong, don't you think?"

Sasuke scoffed. "I hate her."

Sakura sighed heavily, rolling her eyes. "Please, you 'hate' them all."

"But I hate Kimiko the most."

"Cause she's the girl?" Sakura teased.

Sasuke frowned. He often wondered who was more difficult: Sousuke and Kimiko. Sometimes, he felt that Kimiko won that race simply for just being a girl. Until sixteen years ago, Sasuke never thought about having a daughter. He subconsciously thought that all his children would end up as boys. Girls were just not his forte; it was already a miracle he managed to marry Sakura. Actually, the bigger miracle was that he didn't screw up with Kimiko (to a certain point). Out of all his children, Sasuke argued with Kimiko the most. He couldn't remember how many times he yelled at his daughter for her fashion choice. Did she purposely try to attract perverts around the village? And how many times did she throw a kunai at him for not understanding "girl" problems?

To him, Kimiko was annoying... an incredibly annoying blessing...

"_We're having another?" Sasuke blinked, making sure he didn't drop Sousuke out of pure shock._

_Sakura nodded excitedly. "Yes! It's a bit soon now with Sousuke, but… isn't it exciting? Maybe we'll have a girl!"_

_"No. It'll be a boy."_

_"Why not? There's nothing wrong with a girl."_

_"Girls are troublesome," Sasuke argued, not even caring that he sounded like Shikamaru._

_"What's the real reason?" Sakura raised an eyebrow._

_Knowing he couldn't hide much from his wife, Sasuke sighed. "I won't know what to do with her."_

_"Uhh, treat her like she's Sousuke?"_

_Sasuke shook his head. "It's not that. With Sousuke, I'll know what he goes through, but a girl? I'm not the most sensitive guy here, Sakura. I don't know how she'll think."_

_"Wow, it's not like you married a girl," Sakura stated sarcastically. "Don't be scared that she'll hate you. I find it cute that you're so worried about our future daughter."_

_"No, it'll be a boy," Sasuke stated sternly. It was nearly impossible. The chance of giving birth to a girl in the Uchiha clan was extremely low; only three had been born and that was during the founding of Konohagakure._

_Nine months later, Kimiko came…_

_"My, she's growing so fast," Hinata commented, cooing the four-month old Kimiko in Sakura's arms._

_They had arranged the first meeting between Kimiko and Nanako. Naruto walked in Kimiko's nursery room, his daughter dressed in a frilly princess outfit._

_Both Sakura and Naruto moved the two girls closer, black eyes meeting blue. Kimiko stared at the blond baby curiously, looking up and down. Nanako, with her cheeky face, smiled and opened her hand to the smallest wave._

_"See, Nanako? Her name is Kimiko. Otouchan and her father are best friends," Naruto said in a baby voice. "So, that means you two have to be best friends forev-AH SAKURA-CHAN! KIMIKO JUST SLAPPED NANAKO!"_

_Sasuke smirked at his daughter. Apparently, the natural reaction to meeting an Uzumaki was possible to pass down through generations…_

_The twenty-month-old Sousuke, held in his father's arms, stared at his sister sleeping in her crib. His mouth parted, soft sounds escaping his lips. _

_"K-K-Ki…Kimi…K-K-K-Kimi-ko?" He struggled to say. _

_Sakura smiled, kissing her son on his forehead. "Very good, Sousuke. I know you're going to be a good brother to her." _

_Soon, she left the nursery room to prepare the baby food, leaving Sasuke alone with his two children. Sasuke peered over the crib, watching Kimiko breath quietly in her sleep. If anything, he had never seen a more beautiful baby girl than her. It was a precious sight before him, one he wanted to treasure in his memories forever. _

_"Sousuke…" Sasuke whispered, pulling his son closer to him. "You have a little sister now, and she'll grow up into a beautiful girl. When that happens, you need to protect Kimiko from boys who will break her heart. Make sure she's always happy. I'm going to trust you to deem the right person for her but until then… kill any boy who makes her cry." _

_And though Kimiko wasn't even a year old, Sasuke hoped that his daughter would find a better man than he was to Sakura…_

_Several months had passed since Sousuke returned from his kidnapping, yet the nightmares never ended. He was distant from everybody, even his own sister._

_Kimiko was crying in Sakura's arms again, the tears unstoppable. Another day where Sousuke refused to play with her. Another day where he was mean to her, pushed to the side so he could stay alone in his room. Another day where Kimiko failed to reach out to her brother._

_Seeing his daughter cry was the last straw. The next morning, he found himself at the front door of the Nara residence…_

_A little girl cried by the playground. Sasuke took a closer look, spotting Naruto's daughter surrounded by several girls. One of them was pulling on Nanako's blond hair, another girl with a pair of scissors._

_"Tch, think you're such a princess? You're so weak!" One girl taunted._

_He knew what was to come. Naruto would kill him if Sasuke didn't do anything. Naruto was still an idiot, but Sasuke disliked seeing Nanako, the closest person he had for a niece, crying either._

_"AMI YOU BIG MEANIE! LEAVE NANAKO-CHAN ALONE!"_

_Sasuke silently watched the six-year-old Kimiko practically head butt the other girl in the stomach, following by a few punches here and there. Now he knew what Kiba meant about Kimiko getting into fights at the Academy…_

_Slouched against his chair, Sasuke woke up from his nap upon feeling something slimy crawl on his shoulder. He jumped out of his chair immediately, surprised at the sight of a small blue slug._

_"Kimiko, the lake by Training Grounds Eight," recited the slug. "Her sharingan came."_

_Wasting not a second, Sasuke jumped through his window. This was not supposed to happen, not at this age. The sharingan should only develop at this age due to great stress or a traumatic experience._

_He found his daughter, shaking in Sakura's arms. He didn't expect to find Kakashi there as well, but Sasuke continued making his way to Kimiko. Sakura was doing everything to calm their daughter down._

_Through the slightest lift of Kimiko's head, Sasuke saw those red eyes. His hand brushed Kimiko's bangs away, examining her eyes. Bright red, three tomoe total, no strain to the cornea. Her sharingan was healthy and normal. Sasuke sighed in relief, nodding toward Sakura as reassurance._

_"What happened?" Sasuke asked. He was scared of all the possibilities multiplying in his head._

_Sakura glared at Kakashi. "Ask him."_

_Kakashi laughed nervously. "Actually, Sasuke, it's really funny! Kimi-chan and I were fishing and Icha Icha Paradise fell out my pocket. She picked it up, but the book was open, the pages were quite revealing um, she screamed, activated her sharingan, and burned the book! Isn't that cute, Sasuke-kun? I mean, you must be proud that she could master your clan -!"_

_Drawing out his Kusunagi, Sasuke chased Kakashi all over the village…_

_As Sasuke walked toward the training grounds, the view of the Hokage's back grew larger. Naruto glanced back, grinning at his friend._

_" Sasuke, glad you came!" _

_"You called?" Sasuke asked in a bored voice._

_"Yeah, got something interesting to show you," Naruto answered, motioning in front of them. Sasuke didn't even have to look to know what was going on; he just needed ears to hear his daughter screech._

_"KAKASHI-JIJI YOU BASTARD! ASSHOLE! SHITFACE! WHEN I GET OUT OF HERE, I'M GOING TO STRANGLE YOUR NECK UNTIL YOU SCREAM FOR HELL!"_

_Sasuke saw Kimiko's head…sticking from the ground. Kakashi stood above her, chuckling like the old man he was. Sasuke had a sweat drop on his forehead; he didn't want to know how his own daughter fell for the same trick he did in his youth._

_"Ada, Kimi-chan, looks like we're going to need to work on your language before anything," Kakashi pondered, scratching his chin. "But really…where have I seen this before…"_

_Sasuke sighed. Then, he found Nanako hanging from a tree, a rope tied to one leg. Kakashi did promise a bell test for the two girls after they graduated. Though unofficial in the records, Kakashi hoped to keep to tradition. Next to him, Naruto laughed._

_"Isn't this crazy, Sasuke? Our own daughters being best friends? Don't you ever look at those two and wonder if we could have been like them at their age? Laughing and smiling all the time?"_

_He couldn't deny that he never thought of that. Every time Nanako came over to their place, giggling in Kimiko's room, Sasuke did speculate if he and Naruto could have been that close (minus their girlish hobbies.). For now, he watched Kimiko struggle to free herself from the ground…_

_Then came the final round of the Chunin Exams, yet Sasuke couldn't do anything to help his daughter. Her opponent was an Earth-nin, a few years older than Kimiko with the clear upper hand. What angered Sasuke the most was that this ninja showed no desire of actually becoming a Chunin, but throwing Kimiko around the field like a dummy. She was bruised and beaten badly, barely able to stand or make a hand seal. Each time she got up, her opponent would either kick her in the stomach or slam her straight to the wall._

_"What this? Can't take anymore? Where's your god-like power of the Uchiha name now? Where's that fuckin' genjutsu that made my father go crazy HUH? IF IT WASN'T FOR UCHIHA SASUKE, MY FATHER AND MY PEOPLE WOULDN'T HAVE TO SUFFER FROM THAT WAR!"_

_A vendetta, Sasuke's hand twisted tightly around the hilt of his Kusunagi. This opponent wasn't here to become a Chunin, but to take revenge on Kimiko for simply being an Uchiha. He didn't like being up in the Kage booth as Naruto's bodyguard. He rather be near his family in the crowd, comforting them._

_Kimiko coughed blood, too much for Sasuke to think that she still had a chance. Again, the opponent charged for her._

_"IT PISSES ME OFF TO SEE THAT CRIMINAL, THE SAME MAN WHO RUINED MY FATHER, LIVE PEACEFULLY WITH THESE BASTARDS HE CALL HIS CHILDREN! THE UCHIHA CLAN DESERVES TO DIE FOR CAUSING ALL THOSE WARS-"_

_He stopped talking upon a fist meeting his lips._

_Kimiko panted heavily as she watched her opponent step back, rubbing his bloody mouth._

_"Are you done?" Kimiko snarled, activating her sharingan._

_"You little punk! Those eyes have damned the Uchiha-"_

_" SHUT UP AND LET ME TALK, YOU PRICK!" Kimiko yelled furiously. "I don't want to deal with clan crap where I had no part! I'm trying to become a chunin! I don't have time to listen to you blabber about how my clan made your life so miserable! I've heard that a hundred times from random assholes!"_

_Minutes later, her opponent was rushed to the emergency room for third-degree burns, electric shocks throughout body fluids, broken bones…_

_Sasuke was sitting in the living room, pretending to read the newspaper as he eavesdropped on his children and Hyuuga Koji. Apparently, Kimiko and Koji were persuading a reluctant Sousuke to enact revenge on Nanako's ex-boyfriend who cheated with some "Ami-bitch." Oddly, their master plan was sneaking a strange potion into their target's food._

_"Come on, niisan, this is really fun!" Kimiko claimed as she stirred the mixture._

_"Uchiha, this will be gold," Koji insisted._

_"B-But Dai will find out! I mean, it's going to be obvious you snuck it with that color!" Sousuke berated then, covering his nose from the horrible stench. "And that smell isn't subtle either."_

_"Aw, stop ruining the fun, niisan! The smell will die! Anyway, he's going on a date with that Ami-whore to Ichigo's. You'll distract him while I transform into a waiter and sneak it! It's that simple!" _

_"I-I don't know …it's pretty risky," Sousuke scratched his head nervously._

_"Hey! You're the one that threatened to break Dai's body if he hurt Nanako-chan! Well, he did, so don't back out on a promise! Don't you hate seeing her cry over that jerk?"_

_"Of course not! Nanako's practically a little sister! But I rather beat him in a fair duel instead!"_

_"'Fair duel?'" Koji scoffed. "Please, we should sneak up and trash him."_

_"That's low, Hyuuga!"_

_"Not as low as Dai cheating on Nanako! With Ami!" Kimiko spat in disgust._

_"What if Dai finds out? What if something goes wrong and we kill him? We'll get in trouble, the Council will think we intentionally murdered him, strip our ranks, and-"_

_"Considering that the Council is made up of Kakashi and Tsunade, who are just dying to see you have fun," Koji rolled his eyes. "…We're good."_

_"Don't be a party pooper! Even if Dai finds out, we'll beat him up anyway!"_

_Honestly, Sasuke was not surprised that Kimiko was the evil mastermind of this plan…_

_He passed by all of his children's room, noticing Sakura in Kimiko's. She was brushing Kimiko's long black hair, their daughter slumped against her vanity desk._

_"Okaasan, what's wrong with me?" Kimiko pondered suddenly. She never asked stupid questions like that to herself; only Sousuke did._

_Sakura paused brushing. "What do you mean, Kimi?"_

_"Most girls my age already have boyfriends and first kisses, and no boy has told me I'm pretty," Kimiko pouted softly. Sasuke rolled his eyes. He had so little time to eliminate the teenage male population in the village._

_"Boys here are wimps, Kimiko. They're scared of strong girls like you," her mother reassured her. "Is there a boy on your mind?"_

_Kimiko blushed. "N-No. Well…is it weird that I don't have a boyfriend yet? Nanako already had three."_

_"Everybody has their own pace. I didn't get my first boyfriend until I was seventeen."_

_"But Naruto-ji said you had a lot of fan boys!" Kimiko sighed. "Why didn't I get your pink hair? It's so pretty."_

_Sakura laughed. "I would have loved to have one kid get my looks. But you know? I think you look a lot like your grandmother MIkoto."_

_"Eh?" Kimiko popped her head up, suddenly curious. "Y-You mean otousan's mother?"_

_Sakura nodded, smiling. "I personally never met her, only seeing her in pictures. She was very beautiful, just like you. You can thank her for your good looks."_

_He remembered how the day after, Kimiko badgered him with many questions of her grandmother…_

_Naruto squeaked like a mouse when he saw Sasuke's fist slam on his desk._

_"You're sending her on a solo mission?" Sasuke snarled. "Alone?"_

_Naruto took off his glasses. "Oi, teme, Kimiko's been a chunin for over a year. She'll be fine."_

_Sasuke did not calm down. Instead, he grew more frustrated. "Take her off. She's not ready."_

_"Give up, Sasuke," Naruto groaned, slapping his papers down. "I've delayed enough of her solo missions just to keep you sane."_

_Sasuke glared at Naruto darkly. He did not like this. Five or twenty-one, he couldn't care less. Kimiko couldn't go alone._

_"You don't understand, Naruto," Sasuke gritted through his teeth. Enraged, Naruto stood up from his desk, nearly kicking his own chair to the wall. Rarely did Sasuke ever see Naruto act this way._

_"Of course I do! You're not the only one who has a daughter! I dreaded giving Nanako her first solo mission! Hinata-chan and I couldn't sleep for three weeks because we were so worried! We couldn't help but think she'll be hurt! Worst case scenario, they take her body for the Byaguukan! I would never forgive myself if I sent Nanako to her death!_

_"But you know why it was worth it, Sasuke? When we saw Nanako come home, safe and sound, we felt so proud of her. Nanako just appeared so…grown up, independent, ready to take on the world. I still worry about her when she goes on solo missions, but now, I'm more confident in her abilities. I trust that she's strong enough to return to our arms again. And I think you need to realize that Kimiko is strong because you and Sakura-chan made her strong."_

_Naruto paused, catching his breath. Sasuke saw the way Naruto lifted up the photo frame of his family, his smile too big for his whiskered face._

_"As much as we don't want to admit, it's different," Naruto confessed softly. "With the boys, I joke with them about getting booty. But the girls…I spazz on about avoiding rapists and clubs. It's unfair, but too natural."_

_He wasn't sure how Naruto became so wise, but he was also right. When Sousuke went on his first solo mission, Sasuke spent more time calming a worrisome Sakura than actually thinking about his son. Now, that paled in comparison in Kimiko. Sasuke absolutely refused for that solo mission to actually happen, and yet, he knew that this was only right for Kimiko, no matter how hard it was for him…_

_"I'm home!" Those two words never felt so uplifting to Sasuke until Kimiko said it, stepping into the house for the first time in a month._

_He heard her kick off her boots upon entering the living room. He saw her head poke out, smiling brightly as if she didn't know what went through her own father's mind for the last few weeks. Sakura even made a calming medicine for Sasuke to sleep properly._

_"Hey otousan! Where is everybody?"_

_Sasuke didn't respond; rather, he studied her, head to toe. She was astonishingly…okay. There wasn't a single scratch or bruise. She still looked bright and cheerful. If it wasn't for her weapon sack, Sasuke would have assumed Kimiko came home from a vacation._

_But, he couldn't judge from the outside alone._

_"We're visiting you mother," Sasuke grumbled, standing up from his chair._

_"Eh? Are we eating lunch with her?"_

_"You're taking a pregnancy test."_

_The hospital trip proved useful for Sasuke's new bruise on the head…_

_Naruto had forced him to take a stroll around the village, that eventful day when he realized just how much older Kimiko had grown. All it took was a few, disturbing words from stupid teenage boys._

_"Damn, did you see Uchiha Kimiko yesterday? She was lookin' fine."_

_"Yeah, she grew some damn nice knockers up there! I saw her train with only her sports bra: hottest thing ever."_

_"The first guy to tap that ass will surely die a happy man."_

_Sasuke's eyes flashed Magekyou Sharingan, ready to pull an Ametaretsu until Naruto shook his shoulder._

_"Ahhh don't Sasuke! Let it go, they're just boys! It's harmless!" Naruto laughed nervously._

_"Yeah, but she's so scary! Now, how about Uzumaki Nanako? Man, those legs…"_

_"She's so cute! I wonder if her skin's as soft as it looks?"_

_"Dawg, I would go all the way to lick that royal-"_

_"THAT'S MY DAUGHTER, YOU SLIMY PERVERTS!" Naruto screamed at the top of his lungs, preparing a Rasengan. "DON'T YOU RUN AWAY FROM THE HOKAGE!"_

_Sasuke scoffed. Definitely, it was a curse to have a daughter …_

_"You can't stop me from going on that mission!"_

_"Yes I can," Sasuke stated sternly. "You're not strong enough."_

_It was an assassination mission of a powerful drug lord. The least Sasuke wanted on his mind was his daughter getting her hands dirty at this age. It was already stressful enough to deal with Sousuke, who had serious struggles with his no-killing nindo._

_"Bullshit! I can chidori five times a day! I can heal myself pretty decently! Even Kakashi-jiji taught me Kamui without needing the Mangekyou!"_

_"You're not going," Sasuke's voice rose. Kimiko had no idea what she was up against. According to records, the target had an infamous penchant for taking advantage of young girls, some of them being jonin-level ninjas from different villages. All Sasuke could think about was how Kimiko was still a chunin._

_"I'm sixteen years old! I can take care of myself!"_

_"No, you can't! You're not ready to handle this!" Only Kimiko could force him to start shouting in an argument so quickly._

_"Get it in your head that I'm not niisan! I hate killing too, but I'm not going to be a coward and avoid it forever! I'll do it if I have to! This sicko scams the poor and rapes girls my age! I can't let guys like him live so let me take this mission! "_

_Speechless, he was. He never intentionally compared his children together, but Sousuke's calm and polite personality often made Kimiko look childish and rowdy. Really, she had grown so fast and mature before Sasuke's eyes, he could barely hear the distant laughter of a little girl…_

_Over a week since the Snow Country Mission and Sousuke was missing that night. While Sakura stayed home to tend to Kenji, Sasuke and Kimiko went out searching the village at night. Though they were never certain about the exact details, the whole family knew something had happened to Sousuke during that mission._

_Sasuke was scaling a building when he saw Kimiko in the distance. He looked closer, noticing how sad it looked for Kimiko struggling to carry her older brother on her bed. Sousuke looked dreadful, his cheeks red. Sasuke scoffed; that brat probably got drunk. Even that was strange; Sousuke always avoided the party scene. Sasuke could only reason that getting drunk was Sousuke's escape from that mission._

_"NIISAN!" Kimiko scream when Sousuke fell off her back. Immediately, he vomited. His movements were hazy as he was about to fall to the ground until Kimiko caught him._

_"Niisan, what happened? Why are you acting so weird?"_

_"I'm fine, Kimi … leave me alone," Sousuke spat out coldly, throwing up again._

_Sasuke noticed the concerned, panicking expression on Kimiko's face, and she looked like she was a little girl again._

_"I'm such a…such a…weakling…idiot…oh god…Shikana…why didn't I…" Sousuke mumbled uncontrollably, his voice raspy._

_Sasuke didn't know what was worse: seeing tears from Sakura or Kimiko…_

_"Study this," Sasuke had thrown a piece of paper right at her face just as she was applying mascara._

_Kimiko fumbled with the paper, smacking it on the table as she glared at her father murderously. "Don't interrupt a girl in the middle of putting on makeup, you rooster butthead!"_

_"Nothing works on your booger face." He dodged a lipgloss._

_"Fine, what's this anyway?" Kimiko grumbled. On the paper was a diagram of a human body, certain points marked in red._

_"My weak points."_

_"WHAT?" Kimiko screeched in disbelief. Sasuke wasn't surprised at her reaction; it was a life-long goal of hers and Sousuke's to discover where his weaknesses were._

_" W-W-Why?"_

_"To kill me."_

_There was a haunting silence. Sasuke thought that Kimiko would gasp in shock at this horror. Instead, she calmly pulled out a kunai, staring at him with a bored look._

_"As in now?" She asked dryly, holding up the kunai._

_Sasuke cringed. Honestly, he should have been expecting this. He crossed his arm, leaning against the wall of her room._

_"There could be a chance where enemies could manipulate me, take control of my mind for their purpose. Revenge might consume me again," he began, trying to keep his voice as stern and stable as possible. "When there's no chance of reverting back, I'll trust you to take my life."_

_"You can't be serious!" _

_"Aim for at least two of those, and I'll be dead."_

_"Why are you talking about stupid stuff like this? Please tell me this is a joke! A really cruel joke! There's been peace for the last twenty years! Why do you think you're gonna die soon? And why me?"_

_"It can only be you," Sasuke continued, his voice more serious than earlier. He walked to her bed, sitting on the side. "Out of our family, you have the strongest resolve. Your mother and Kenji would hesitate and flip-flop. Sousuke would hold back so much, I might end up killing him first."_

_"Do I look like I want to kill my own father? You can be a real bastard sometimes, but this is wrong! You're not going to be a vengeful idiot again! You need to be around when niisan asks Shikana out, when I get married, when Kenji graduates-"_

_"Kimiko, you're the only one who knows this." It was true. Not even Sakura nor Naruto knew his vital points._

_Kimiko froze. Her mouth widened, slightly ajar. Rigidly, she stared at the paper, her forehead creasing nervously. Sasuke spoke again._

_"No matter how scared you get…I know you always make the right decisions in the end."_

_"B-But otousan…" Kimiko rarely stuttered. Sasuke knew that her tongue was sharp, confident to speak her mind no matter how loud it was._

_"What if enemies find out that I know, and I'm in a position where they threaten the family…just for me to spill your weaknesses?"_

_"That won't happen…" Sasuke replied sternly, standing up to leave. Her bangs fell over her face as she clutched the paper tightly, as if to rip it apart any second. Sasuke paused at the door, smirking._

_"…Because you'll going to break every bone in their body." He learned to trust that his only daughter was capable of such strength…_

Kimiko had come a long way since then. She was sixteen now, a frightening age for Sasuke. Not exactly a girl, but not yet a woman. In a few years, she would move out of their house, live on her own, and eventually (Sasuke's breath hitched at the thought) find a man to call her husband. As annoying as it was, he would miss her loudness. She was always a strong person, but deep down, Sasuke knew there was fragility within her that only showed when those close to her were hurt.

Whatever his daughter aspired to be, Sasuke and Sakura did not know. She never was one to think about her future too much; Kimiko only though of the present and just went with it. Either way, they knew she was heading for a good path.

"So? You ready to tell me?"

Sasuke glanced down at his wife, confused at her question.

"Ready to answer why you dislike Kimiko so much?" Sakura smiled. "She's very talented on getting on your nerves."

He didn't answer right away. He stared back to his daughter, finding her laughter intermixed with Koji. They had taken a break from their spar, laying next to each other on the grass (too close for Sasuke's liking). However, he couldn't fight that. Not when she was growing up more beautiful than he expected.

He squeezed Sakura's hand tightly.

"Kimiko will make me pay for her wedding dress."

His voice was so soft, Sakura barely heard it. She knew that Sasuke had always been particularly stricter on their daughter than the boys, but only because he would take Kimiko growing up harder than Sousuke and Kenji. She may be a teenager, but Sasuke only saw the little girl, no matter how blurry that image was.

"Even when she wears that dress…" Sakura began, looking up to Sasuke. "…she'll always be our baby girl."

If anything, he had to thank Sakura for always knowing the right things to say to him. Slowly, she stood up from the branch, wiping the dirt off her skirt.

"Come on, let's give those two some privacy," Sakura giggled, knowing very well how much that ticked off Sasuke. "I'm still sweaty from our spar there."

"Hn," Sasuke grunted.

"You know, if it doesn't ruin your plan, the hot springs are open," Sakura mentioned suggestively. "And the mixed baths are discounted this time of year."

Sasuke smirked wickedly. Damn, did this woman know him. He didn't even care whether or not Koji and Kimiko would start making out ten minutes later.

In the end, Uchiha Sasuke was going to have so much more fun torturing him _after_ the Hyuuga boy ask Kimiko out. Oh, if only that day would come sooner.

* * *

><p>Yay another chapter done! Sorry if they seem to long. I decided to just not worry about the length because it'll keep you guys more occupied with my infrequent updates. Academically-wise, this semester will be more relaxing but I still have track and Key Club to worry about. Please sympathize with my pain; sometimes it gets hard and I just want to shut down.<p>

Okay, so not much about commentary (My mind's still fried from finals). I hoped I managed to portray Kimiko accurately here as she is in my head. I've always thought Sasuke would have a complicated, somewhat-humorous (to us mainly) relationship with his daughter. Also, it was always my intent for Kimiko to be more confident and fun than Sousuke. Um, not sure what else to say. I played a lot of father-daughter songs while writing this to get in the mood like Stevie Wonder "Isn't She Lovely," John Mayer's "Daughters," and Jay-Z "Glory" even though that just came out. If you guys have any questions, feel free to message me or ask in the reviews! I haven't been great with reading the reviews so I'll get back to it ASAP! Oh, I wanted to include Naruto because it was nice to have the best friends raise their daughters together. I know I made Naruto kind of the village idiot, but he can also be wise too. I mean, he _is_ the Hokage. And he makes pretty good speeches in the manga.

Again, thank you for supporting me throughout my first semester as a senior. I am now less than six months away from graduating, so it's going to get real exciting. I'll still write fanfiction, but I really want to make the most of my last year of high school. Anybody's that Class of 2012...LEGGO! (and cue the Chris Brown song)


	20. The Legacy

Chapter 19: The Legacy

Hey guys! Long time no see! Again, I'm sorry for the slow updates. I know I promised that I would do fast updates, but honestly, that was before I realize how hectic I got with my activities. School itself is not that horrible, but basketball season and Key Club have been stressful.

Anyway, I'm not going to ramble on about my life. Instead, I made a Tumblr for it! Yes, I made a Tumblr, specifically for fanfiction rants, to relieve myself of all my complainng, yet make sure you guys don't have to deal with it! Basically, it's a blog of what I'm feeling about when writing fanfiction. I'm not quite sure of what I'm going to do with it, but if you guys are curious, you can follow me! I don't know why it won't show up here, but basically, it's just "nakoujou" then the tumblr if you guys are familiar with tumblr links. An easier one can be found on my profile.

Basically, I just write about the things I write for my author's notes. That way, you guys can go straight to the story! I will do commentary of my stories on that Tumblr too if you guys are interested and maybe upload some of my favorite fanfics. Plus, if I haven't updated in a while, you guys can go there to see why I haven't or whatever goes. Not sure how it'll work. I feel like Tumblr is more appropriate for that time of stuff than on the actual story. (which I'm defeating the purpose right now until I actually know what to do with the Tumblr)

Anyway, to the story!

* * *

><p>Evening was slowly approaching, the sky fading into a golden orange. Sasuke and Sakura guessed that Kenji at least returned home by now; their youngest never liked being outside when it got too dark. Perhaps Kimiko had returned early as well for Kenji. Either way, they knew their children would take care of each other. Plus, their anniversary wasn't over.<p>

Sakura still had her part. And it was a tradition Sasuke looked forward to every year.

"So, Sasuke-kun," Sakura started, glancing up toward him. "What are you hungry for now? My treat."

Sasuke smirked. He motioned toward a tiny restaurant a few blocks down the street. Taking his cue, Sakura led the way. Sure, their kids were disappointed upon discovering that he never took their mother to dinner back in the day. But the thing is... he never had to.

And finally, they could blame their mother for it.

_Four days had passed since that faithful day she and Sasuke first kissed (correction: made out spontaneously) and...That was it._

_One could imagine how this would infuriate Haruno Sakura. It was not everyday Uchiha Sasuke suddenly ruined your date, only to make out with you before leaving you hanging. Didn't he proclaim her as "his?" And what did he do about that after? Nothing. He practically ignored her. _

_Fumbling with her paperwork, Sakura grunted heavily. _

_"Damnit, why do I even love that jerk? Doesn't even know how to treat a girl right," She mumbled to herself, annoyed. "Boys are so stupid. When I get a son, I'll make sure he'll be the perfect gentlemen. One lucky girl will be happy and it's all thanks to me because I raised the sweetest son." _

_But the dream of a perfect son would shatter if she ever married Sasuke. Sasuke's genes were bound to end up somehow in their future (if ever) son. That would take a miracle. Then again, she had trouble imagining the father of her children to be anybody but Sasuke._

_After work, she did what any sane girl would do in that situation: March down to the training grounds, find her two teammates sparring, and punch Sasuke in the stomach before Naruto could._

_"SAKURA-CHAN HOW COULD YOU? I WANTED TO SMACK HIM FIRST!" Naruto had wailed loudly. Of course, she ignored, her green eyes dangerously glaring at Sasuke, who lay on the ground, groaning._

_"What the hell…" he mumbled; wide-eyed that he had been caught off-guard._

_"What is wrong with you?" She screamed. Sasuke didn't know where to look: Her furious eyes or her tight fists just so he would know where she would aim next._

_As he stared at Sakura, all Sasuke could think was how he prayed that should he ever revive his clan, he would never have a daughter. Girls were so violent now, and he didn't want to add another to the bunch._

_"You cocky bastard! You have no right to kiss a girl and ignore her! Who do you think you are?"_

_"I'll just l-leave," Naruto stuttered, disappearing in a cloud of smoke. _

_Slowly, Sasuke stood up, rubbing his pained stomach. "Why should that matter?" _

_"Yes, it does! What the hell does 'You're mine' mean to you? Don't say stuff you don't mean-"_

_"I did mean it," Sasuke interrupted sternly. _

_"So why didn't you warn me that you be a complete jerk the next-"_

_"Because I don't know what to do! I don't know how to make this work!" _

_He was so tense and angry that Sakura forced herself to believe that he wasn't frustrated at her. No, maybe all this time, he was frustrated at himself. She could tell; His eyes, downcast to the ground, refusing to look at her in the eye. He always did that when he was troubled, and this was no different._

_Then, Sakura had to remind herself at everything Sasuke had been through. It hadn't been half a year since he came back; of course he would have difficulty adjusting back to Konoha, let alone be in a relationship. It was already hard enough on him, and suddenly, she felt very guilty for adding even more pressure. _

_But…she needed to know. If she didn't, then it was hopeless for them._

_"Sasuke-kun…" Sakura bit her lips, hesitant to press on further. "…Do you want to be with me?"_

_She could tell he was hesitant to answer. Afraid to open up to another person after being alone for so long. She knew that tearing the wall he built around him wasn't going to crumble in this single moment. But maybe if she picked on it little by little, she could access his troubled mind. _

_"Yes," Sasuke whispered so quietly, Sakura wouldn't have believed it had she not seen his lips move. They trembled again, as if wanting to say something more yet didn't. _

_"But?" There was always one. _

_Sasuke sighed, looking away shamefully. "I don't get this whole…" his face scrunched up, as if to scowl. "…dating thing."_

_She couldn't blame him. There was no way she could. Uchiha Sasuke was no ordinary boy. The life he led up until now…the effects had taken its toll. _

_In her fantasies, it was always Sasuke that had to change when dating her. He would be the one that would (in his own Sasuke way) casually make the first move. But in this reality, maybe…she had to change certain things if they were going to work. Someday in the future, if they were still dating, Sasuke would adapt to her needs. But right now, Sasuke needed it more than she did. And she was more than willing to do just that. _

_"Are you free tomorrow evening?" She asked quickly. _

_Confused, Sasuke only nodded. _

_Sakura broke into a small smile. "Good. I'll pick you up at six." _

_And that was exactly what she did the next day: Take Uchiha Sasuke out on a date. She had never taken the initiative before; whenever she went on a date, guys asked her first. Surely, she had to make the exception for Sasuke. _

_She had walked to Sasuke's apartment, leading the two to a local theater for a movie. She told him that a movie was typical for a first date, and many more should they keep this up. _

_Their conversation was bare throughout the movie, Sakura only making commentary as Sasuke listened. It may not have been ideal, but Sakura knew she was doing something right. When she snuck glances at Sasuke, she noticed how much more relaxed and light-hearted his face was. _

_After the movie ended, Sakura told Sasuke that they were to take a stroll around Konohagakure. At first, he was puzzled, never believing that such a simple thing could be considered a "date" thing; he did that on a daily basis. Sakura had giggled upon discovering that Sasuke held an innocent form of romance hiding within. _

_She was glad they took that walk around Konoha, walking next to him peacefully. Passing by the same stores and restaurants she had passed many times before felt differently this time around. There was something about walking by his side, not in front nor behind, that made this even more special. And sometime in between, she felt his hand slip into hers. He may be silent, but he knew how to make up for it._

_Then came the last part of their evening: Dinner. This was the part Sakura was most nervous about. In all her dates in the past, dinner was an intimate thing. It was the make-or-break part of a date. This time, there was no Naruto to break any awkward silences. It was just her and Sasuke, alone. _

_At first, she didn't think it would go well. While waiting for their order to arrive, she had attempted small talks with Sasuke that had gone unsuccessful. Whenever she asked him questions about training, he would only give her one-word responses; maximum, ten. His face had hardened again, and Sakura was starting to lose hope when the food arrived. At least, she would be eating in this awkwardness. She was about to eat her heart out until she heard Sasuke suddenly speak. _

_"How was your day?" _

_A noodle was hanging from her gaping mouth. Sasuke, asking a question? About her day? It was very strange. _

_But then, she remembered, that Sasuke was never a talker. Even when they ate Ichiraku's with Naruto, Sasuke was always quiet. Yet, he always joined them for ramen. And he rarely left early, always walking with them until they separated for their individual homes._

_And according to the way his eyes were concentrated on her, and the content look he had as she told him about her day, Sakura knew her theory was right. She wasn't sure why. Weren't boys supposed to be irritated by girls who talked too much? It was one of the many ways she annoyed him during their genin days._

_Though she didn't know why he was content with this, Sakura did know that this made her happy. Sitting at dinner with Sasuke…it was fitting, really, to simply enjoy his company. And she was thankful that he was here right now, sitting across from her, not dead on a battlefield for siding with Madara. _

_When the check arrived, Sakura grabbed for it instantly, never allowing Sasuke's hand to touch it. He raised an eyebrow, perplexed at her actions. Sakura only smiled. _

_"I was the one who took you out," Sakura explained. "That means I have to pay." _

_Sasuke frowned, but Sakura understood it was only because she hurt his pride. She laughed softly. _

_"Let me treat you, Sasuke-kun, just this once."_

_She said that on their next date too. And the one after. And every dinner date for the next twenty years…_

_They returned to their apartment rather late. Ino had thrown a gigantic baby shower for the one-month-old Shikana, inviting half the village. As much as Sakura was excited for her best friend, she wished it didn't last from morning to night. It was nearing midnight, way past Sousuke's bedtime. Their poor son was resting quietly against Sasuke's chest, his eyes half-closed._

_Sasuke nodded at Sakura, indicating that he would put their son back to his crib. Sakura thanked him silently, kissing Sasuke on the cheek. Sakura walked into their bedroom, quickly changing into her pajamas. Though incredibly exhausted (the bed before her was tempting) she forgot that she needed to kiss her son goodnight. _

_Just as she opened the door to Sousuke's nursery, she paused. According to Sousuke's soft giggle, their son was still awake. Peering through, she watched Sasuke hold their son close to his chest, a small smile evident on his face. _

_"Sousuke, hurry up and sleep," Sasuke chuckled softly. "Your mother won't like this."_

_Sakura smiled; it was only these moments with Sousuke did Sasuke reveal his tender side so easily. Sasuke must really enjoy being with Sousuke; whenever their son cried at night, Sasuke would dart out of their bed and within two seconds, was right by Sousuke's side. Never once did she get up from bed at night for Sousuke. Not when Sasuke always beat her to it. _

_"Still excited from meeting a girl?" Sasuke half-joked. He always preferred talking to Sousuke, assuming he would actually understand; Sasuke doing "baby talk" meant the world would end._

_ "Sousuke," his voice suddenly turned serious, yet there was softness to it. _

_"When you have girl problems, you better listen to your mother. She'll tell you how to treat that girl right. She'll make sure that you'll be a better man to that girl than I am with your mother." _

_Sakura felt her insides clench tightly. Even to this day, despite all the happiness they've had together, Sasuke still harbored that guilt inside of him. Forgiveness of himself was going to be a tough journey from here on out. _

_And to make sure that Sousuke wouldn't follow the same path as Sasuke did in his youth…it was straining him. But hopefully, Sakura prayed, that they would come a time when Sasuke would stop believing that he would ruin his children, because he wasn't going to. Someday, Sasuke would have more faith in being a father. _

_"But not with the Nara girl," Sasuke warned severely. "If I have to share grandkids with that obnoxious woman and lazy ass, I'll disown you." _

_Sakura laughed. It was the first time she saw Sasuke dangerously glare at their baby son. All that was left was to wait until Sousuke rebels against Sasuke's wishes…_

Twenty years since their first date. It felt surreal that they were sitting outside on this evening, as a husband and wife, when they did the same thing as teenagers many years ago. And still to this day, Sasuke never paid for a dinner with Sakura.

Then again, Sasuke had grown comfortable to becoming a man of traditions, if only with Sakura.

"I hope you realize that our kids hate me so much," Sasuke began. "Because you never let me pay."

"Really? That's nice to know," Sakura grinned. Why she was always supportive of their children's torture of him, Sasuke will never know. Maybe that's why they liked her so much.

"Anyway, why this place, Sasuke-kun? We haven't been here before, have we?" Sakura asked, reading off the menu.

Then, Sasuke smirked. He motioned to a familiar café across the street, a certain girl sitting alone. And down the street, an even more recognizable figure was making his way to the same café.

* * *

><p>She needed an escape. Now.<p>

When she arrived at the local café, all Nara Shikana wanted to do was order smoothie after a long day with her girlfriends. When she sat down alone, one of the older boys approached her into a conversation she would rather avoid. Thus, explained her current situation.

"I'm saying, Shika-chan, one time won't hurt! And you're quite the catch," Ryu exclaimed, inching closer to her each time she moved her chair farther. "Dark hair, light eyes. Mmhm, I like it."

"Hahaha, really?" she laughed uncomfortably. Why was the waiter being so slow?

Never considering herself the naïve type, Shikana knew very well that despite this boy being a senpai, Ryu was trying to "hit" on her. She didn't understand why; all she wanted to do was flee, or at least come up with an excuse.

"So, what do you think? Ain't got nobody to interrupt us. Just me and you," He suggested, his wink creeping Shikana out.

"Ah, it's okay. I'm not the best person for it."

"Come on, babe, we could go to the city. I know this fine sushi dining there," Ryu insisted, his arm about to wrap around Shikana's shoulder when a voice spoke.

"Konbanwa, Shikana. Who's your new friend?"

Irritated, Ryu whipped his head back. "Oi, buzz off you little-HOLY SHIT!"

Suddenly, Ryu gawked, his face pale as a ghost when he saw the dark-haired teenager with onyx eyes. Uchiha Sousuke could only stare, puzzled.

"U-U-U-UCHIHA S-S-S-SOUSUKE OH MY OH MY-"

Sousuke blinked rapidly. "Ryu-senpai? Ah, forgive me, I didn't recog-HUH?"

Sousuke's eyes widened when the Ryu suddenly bowed before him, almost at his knees. People have done strange things to the young Uchiha, but never to this extent.

"I-I-I'm sorry Sousuke! I-I-I d-d-didn't realize I-it was y-y-you! I was j-just c-c-chatting up with Shika-chan-I mean, S-Shikana a-a-and excuse me!"

And in five seconds, Ryu dashed out the café, never to be seen again the whole day. Shikana sighed in relief.

"Sorry, Shikana, I didn't mean to ruin your date with Ryu-senpai," Sousuke teased, taking a seat across from his friend.

Shikana frowned. "Y-You know that wasn't a date. Thank god you scared that creep away."

"Do I really look that intimidating?" Sousuke asked, troubled. "Kimi thinks I'm wimpy, but that doesn't say much because she scares everybody."

"I'm sure it's more of what people hear about you, but…" At this, Shikana pinched his right cheek. "You're too cute, so that makes you wimpy."

Sousuke glared at her. Laughing, Shikana gently patted his cheek like a pet. Sousuke wished that his bangs were long enough to cover his pink cheeks or that Shikana was half-blind to not tell. Either way, he liked it. It meant that they were comfortable again.

"See? Your glare could only scare a rabbit."

"You know I could drag Ryu-senpai back for that date."

"Stop that!" Shikana blushed in embarrassment. "That could only be a date if someone pays for the other. Otherwise, it's nothing."

Sousuke laughed. "I'm glad it wasn't."

"What do you mean?" Shikana raised an eyebrow.

Sousuke gulped, nervously scratching his head. "Well, I-i-it's just that a lot of guys, they w-well, you're very um, to them, appealing, but they might not be the b-best guys, ano, I wanted to make sure that you, erm-"

"What would you like?" the waiter asked Sousuke out of the blue.

"Melon boba, please!" Sousuke answered quickly. He reminded himself to thank the man for saving him from a tight spot.

Shikana giggled, deciding to drop the subject. "Matcha banana smoothie."

The waiter nodded, writing down their orders before departing. Sousuke's shoulder hitched tightly, feeling more embarrassed with each passing second. Now he understood why Kimiko and Nanako gave him no mercy about Shikana. This was one of many moments where he wished had his sister's confidence; sadly, he didn't.

_Where's Kimi when you need her?_ The one time he thought Kimiko would have been extremely helpful, and she wasn't here.

"Um, Sousuke-kun," Shikana's voice broke his train of thoughts. "It's been on my mind for a while but…now that you dropped the ANBU Exam, what are you going to do?"

Sousuke stiffened, the silence taking over them again. He wanted to hide his unease of that topic, for he didn't know the answer himself. Ever since he dropped the ANBU Exam, he had felt lost with his future. He considered it the worst of times, as he was practically on the edge of adulthood. For so long, all he wanted to do was become stronger and stronger to protect Konohagakure. But sometimes, it got confusing.

"I don't know. I don't think I want to become ANBU anymore. I think I've always known that but…I didn't know what else to do. The Hokage gave me a break, so I guess it's about time I take a step back and slow down."

Shikana nodded, understanding. "A much needed break?"

"_Very_," Sousuke laughed lightly. "I could train with Kimi for her Jonin Exams, even Kenji too. Visit the city with the guys. It's been a while since I've had fun."

"You always have a mission the day after you're finished with one. This is good for you, Sousuke-kun, so don't abuse it," Shikana replied, delighted when their orders arrived. Sousuke watched as Shikana sipped the smoothie through her straw, brushing back her brunette waves behind her ears.

He drank his melon boba slowly, his eyes never leaving Shikana. She never noticed him staring at her, and he thanked God for that. Then, he was suddenly reminded of all the stories he heard about his parents, how his father was terrible at romancing his mother, but nevertheless, earned his mother's love anyway. How even though his father appeared cold and distant to her, he still loved her very much, caring when nobody was looking. Even the sacrifices and fears his father had whenever he was with his mother. After seventeen years, Sousuke finally saw his father's love for his mother as admirable.

_"I raised you to be better than this…So don't make the same mistake I did."_

His father's voice echoed through his mind as Sousuke finished his drink. He smiled inwardly. The mistake may have referred to one specific thing, but Sousuke knew his father meant even more.

_You don't want me to distant and rough like you huh, otousan? You want me to be like okaasan, warm and kind, when I find the right girl for me. You don't want me to make the girl guessing, like you did with okaasan. But, you're not so bad either…_

Sitting here, Sousuke wondered if his father ever stole looks at his mother before they started dating, like he did now with Shikana.

"Thank you."

Shikana stopped drinking her smoothie, pausing to stare at Sousuke in confusion. "W-What?"

"You're always there for me. I don't know why but after fixing everything…I'm more relaxed. I really appreciate having you for that."

With that, Shikana gave him the most sincere smile, one that Sousuke liked to think was reserved for him. "That's what happens when you care about somebody very much. I need to make sure you're relaxing well."

Sousuke chuckled, glancing at the waiter hand them their receipt. A clever idea sprung inside his head. "Actually, you're going to help me there."

"How?" Shikana grew curious.

Sousuke barely glanced at the receipt given to them. Out of his pocket, he pulled out his wallet and dumped out a few bills. When the waiter came to pick it up, Sousuke told him to keep the change, his black eyes still concentrated on Shikana. The waiter bowed politely, picked up their empty drinks, and left. Shikana was still confused when Sousuke stood up beside her, offering her a hand and a charming smile.

"I paid for your drink. That makes this a date, right?"

At this, Shikana's eyes widened in bewilderment. Her cheeks had a slight tint of pink that Sousuke found suddenly cute. He heard a giggle escape from her lips as her soft fingers entwined into his.

"Fine, I'll go easy on you _this_ time, Uchiha Sousuke," Shikana smiled, standing up next to Sousuke as they exited the café, hand in hand.

* * *

><p>Across from the cafe Sousuke and Shikana just left, another couple observed their departing figure. One was smiling in contained excitement; the other, baffled.<p>

"Ne, Sasuke-kun, don't tell me you're surprised."

Sasuke nodded calmly, drinking his green tea. "The twat didn't faint."

Sakura tried to hold back a laugh, but failed. Although her oldest son was quite the gentleman, she did half-expect Sousuke to have a stuttering attack that could probably rival Hinata's. He wasn't the most forward person, especially around girls.

"Yes," Sakura replied, pleased at the two teenager's holding hands. "Charming, but not very Sousuke-ish."

Sasuke smirked. Sousuke never did have amazing confidence; he was a natural spazz, if not the only one in the entire history of the Uchiha clan.

Still, they were unsettled with how fast Sousuke grew. He was so much older now, inside and out. He was amazingly mature and kind (which Sakura shamelessly took credit for), acting as a big brother to the all kids in the village. The only sign that he was still a child was that he retained Sakura's heart-shaped face and big eyes, albeit still the black color of Sasuke's.

They knew Sousuke would be the first to leave the brood. He would go off and marry the girl (And god forbid, force Sasuke to be in-laws with Ino and Shikamaru) before starting his own family. He would carry the Uchiha name down to more generations, even when Sasuke and Sakura were long gone.

They knew time flew fast, but it was a blur with Sousuke. Had it really been that long ago since they were in the hospital room, holding a baby Sousuke? Had seventeen years really pass by? The day their first child was born?

It was difficult to see their son so grown up, when in reality, Sousuke used to be very tiny in their arms…

* * *

><p><em>She had been in an extremely good mood that morning. Sasuke wasn't sure why, but her face was…glowing. From getting up from bed to making breakfast, Sakura never stopped smiling.<em>

_She must have realized Sasuke's curiosity, for she quickly sat next to him at the couch and grabbed his hand into hers. Then, she pressed his hand against her stomach, watching his eyes enlarge._

_"Y-You're –I- what -" Sasuke rarely stuttered, but how else could he express his shock? He sensed the tiniest hint of a new chakra growing._

_Sakura nodded excitedly. "I wanted to tell you last night, but you were so exhausted coming home and-"_

_Instantly, Sasuke's lips pressed against hers. Once their lips parted, Sasuke started to laugh. There was lightness to his laugh, something Sakura rarely heard even after they married. And she could not be more delighted._

_"I can't believe it…" Sasuke's smile exploded in ecstasy. "When's the due date?"_

_"Mid-June," Sakura answered._

_June, it was. Between there and now, they had nine months to prepare for the biggest journey of their lives, waiting for their child to come into the world…_

_Seven months passed by, and Naruto was preparing for his inauguration as the Sixth Hokage. They were an hour away from Naruto stepping on top of Hokage Tower, Tsunade handing over the title to him._

_Suddenly, the door burst open, revealing a very exhausted Tenten._

_"Tenten, you shouldn't do overdo yourself, not when you're with child!" Naruto cried, his eyes staring at her growing stomach. "Why didn't you get Hinata-chan?"_

_Tenten breathed heavily, staring at Sasuke. "Sakura's…huff…in…hospital…huff…labor…"_

_Sasuke never looked more horrified, his heart racing a million miles a second._

_"It's too soon! There's still two months left!"_

_"That doesn't matter, Sasuke! Just go, NOW!" Tenten screamed, also shocked to see Naruto racing out the door. "Naruto! What about the ceremony? You're becoming Hokage goddamnit!"_

_"Screw the ceremony! Uchiha Naruto will never forgive me if I am not there!"_

_Sasuke didn't even have the time to punch Naruto. All that was on his mind was Sakura and their baby…._

_They reached the hospital room where Sakura was. Sasuke was about to open the door, run to Sakura's side, when he heard her scream painfully from outside. His fingers froze just before touching the doorknob, not moving an inch._

_"Teme, what's wrong with you? Get inside!" Naruto yelled at him._

_Beads of sweat fell down Sasuke's forehead. More screams from Sakura. He couldn't take how painful it was to her, how he was the reason for that pain._

_"I can't do it," Sasuke muttered under his breath, panicking._

_"What are you talking about? Go to Sakura-chan now!"_

_He didn't listen to Naruto. "I can't do it. I'm going to screw up that child. Something wrong will happen. It's too soon. I shouldn't have done this to her-"_

_Furiously, Naruto punched Sasuke in the stomach. He didn't wait for Sasuke to recover, for he started to scream._

_"Get a grip, Sasuke! You're going to be a father! Nobody can change that! And you're going to be an awesome father because you are Uchiha Sasuke! That child is going to be damn amazing because of you and Sakura-chan! Don't ever walk out on your child! Everybody screws up at least once in life, but that's where you and Sakura come in! You have to stay by Sakura-chan's side through this! She needs you more than ever, teme!"_

_He didn't waste another second. Immediately, Sasuke ran into the delivery room, wondering if Naruto heard the soft "thank you" he said…_

_Resting on her delivery bed, Sakura breathed heavily against Sasuke's chest, his hand gripping hers tightly. She was exhausted from the hours of labor, pushing through the pain. Tsunade had taken their newborn to another room for emergency check-ups. Now, the husband and wife could only anticipate how their child would be._

_"Reflexes are healthy. His lungs hadn't fully developed, but I sped up that process. He's only five pounds, but that's normal for premature births," Tsunade recited, holding the newborn Uchiha in her arms._

_Tsunade handed their child into Sakura's arm, part of blanket revealing his round face. He didn't care that Tsunade was in the room; Sasuke couldn't stop smiling._

_A boy. They had a baby boy. He couldn't stop staring at him, his own son. His first child with Sakura. Dark hair, black eyes, everything that screamed "Uchiha." It wasn't hard to find Sakura in their son either. The wide forehead. The heart-shaped face. Even the eye shape greatly resembled his mother._

_Soon, Kakashi and Naruto joined, both cooing the baby. Sasuke didn't fight Kakashi trying to tickle their son, or Naruto making funny faces. He would not take the warmth of family away from his son._

_"Sakura, he's going to have a lot of fangirls," Kakashi commented, patting Sousuke on the forehead. "And you won't end up a vengeful, murderous bastard, won't you?"_

_"He's so cute!" Naruto exclaimed."What's his name?"_

_Sakura glanced at Sasuke, who nodded in return. She smiled at Naruto._

_"Naruto, I can't thank you enough for being here. You even ditched your own ceremony," Sakura chuckled, handing their child over to Sasuke to hold. "Sasuke wouldn't even be here if it weren't for you. That's why I think he should be named…"_

_"No, don't do it," Naruto shook his head. "He's not a 'Naruto.' We can save that for the next baby."_

_Sasuke nearly gasped, his lips parting. "Naruto…you…" Even he seriously considered it after today._

_"But…" Naruto stared at the son of his two best friend, well aware of the happiness that child brought to them. "…He looks like a 'Sousuke,' doesn't he? Similar to teme, but softer, springier."_

_"Springier, hm? Well, it is April. Sasuke, aren't Uchihas normally born during summer?" Kakashi inquired. "He certainly shall be an interesting one."_

_Sakura giggled, bring her son back into her arms, staring deeply into his onyx eyes. "Do you like it, Sousuke? His first day of office, and the Sixth Hokage named you."_

_Uchiha Sousuke. It flowed well. Damn, Naruto was good at giving names…_

_The dinosaur toy was just two feet away from baby Sousuke, yet he looked like he was about to cry. They had put him on his tummy, trying to see if he would crawl. Sousuke reached for it slowly, his eyes saddening when his hand weren't long enough to grab for the tail. _

_Sakura watched, slightly worried. "Maybe it's too early."_

_Sasuke stared at his young son, a contemplated look across his face. Sousuke was almost there, if only there was a certain incentive. _

_"Sasuke-kun, what are you thinking?" Sakura asked, curious. _

_"We should throw a kunai at him. He'll crawl faster."_

_His cheek grew a nasty bruise that Sakura refused to treat the whole day. To think he had been a father for six months…_

_"Uchiha, you dweeb, I told you I was coming for you and your giant forehead!"_

_Sitting against a tree, seven-year-old Sousuke lifted his eyes up from the book, puzzled. _

_"Ryu-senpai?"_

_A rough hand slapped Sousuke's book out of his hand, but the young Uchiha didn't budge. In fact, he didn't appear surprised at the older boy's enraged face. _

_"Rematch, right now! I only went easy on the exhibition 'cause you're an underclassman! You won't humiliate me again!" Ryu spat out those words, saliva hitting Sousuke's cheek. _

_Quietly, Sousuke wiped it off his face, bending down to pick his book. "Sorry, senpai. I have a test tomorrow." _

_Before Sousuke could reach it, Ryu's foot had kicked the book straight into a nearby puddle, the pages soaking in mud. _

_"Uchiha, some dirt got on my shoes. Be a good kouhai and clean it up," Ryu taunted, his friends cackling behind. "That'll show you how low your pathetic clan is." _

_Sasuke saw the slightest clench of Sousuke's fist, almost wanting to aim at the boy's face. However, Sousuke never did lay a finger on bullies in his lifetime, probably fearful of what reckless action could do to his clan's reputation. _

_Thankfully, only Sousuke thought like that, as Kimiko never did give a crap. She wouldn't have kicked Ryu in the crotch had she followed her brother's mentality…_

_"Ne, okaasan," Sousuke spoke up one time at the dining table just Sasuke had just returned home from work. They probably didn't hear him enter, especially with Sousuke's next question._

_"Why is the Uchiha clan symbol on the police station?" _

_Washing the dishes, Sakura glanced back at their son, smiling softly. "The Uchiha clan founded the police force many years ago. Before the Massacre, it was mostly made up of the clans people."_

_"How come otousan didn't join?"_

_"I'm not sure, Sousuke," Sakura replied gently. "You already know the truth about Itachi. Your father's spent long enough getting over that part of his life. I think returning to the police force will make things sour again. Why don't you ask your father?"_

_Sousuke stiffened uncomfortably. He never did approach Sasuke with that question; if ever speak to him that didn't regard training…_

_Ten-years-old, and Sousuke was already screaming at his father to train him beyond basic kunai and clan techniques. At this time of his life, Sousuke wanted more._

_"Why won't you teach me chidori? You taught Kimi and she's younger than me!" _

_Sasuke sighed, rubbing his head. "You lack your sister's stamina." True as that was, there was more. How else could he tell Sousuke that jutsu was at a disadvantage without the sharingan? Sasuke knew his son was jealous enough of Kimiko for attaining the sharingan before him._

_"I'll work twice as hard! I can master the chidori in a week!"_

_"Only when you can hit me," Sasuke rolled his eyes, returning his sword back to its sheath. _

_He turned around, heading back to the Uchiha Manor. As his mind wondered to dinner, Sasuke felt a strong blow to his right cheek. He side-stepped sloppily, instantly glaring at the smirking, little attacker._

_"What were you saying, old man?"_

_Sasuke was not happy. "That doesn't count, you little punk."_

_"Don't lie! I got your chicken head good!"_

_"A dirty trick when someone's guard is down."_

_"You suck as ANBU Captain."_

_That was probably the only time of his life that Sousuke's cockiness level ever rivaled his father's. People actually called Sousuke "the nicest boy in Konoha?" When could this boy ever respect him..._

_"It's the fifth time he froze up," Tenten said sternly about a previous mission. "Sousuke may be the strongest, but I worry more about him than the other two combined." _

_"Hn," Sasuke muttered, his eyes concentrating on his wife and son through the window. "Which village was it this time?" _

_"Kirigakure. I don't know how much longer until Sousuke figures it out. It's not normal for jonin-level ninjas to come after targets of a C-rank mission. Once his sharingan comes, he'll piece it out soon."_

_Outside in the backyard, Sakura was teaching Sousuke how to extract poison from a rabbit. Though their son was borderline genius, they had never seen Sousuke struggle so hard until medical ninjutsu. At first, Sasuke wasn't too concerned with Sousuke becoming a medic-nin; he was able to revive a fish by learning the Mystic Palm Technique within three days. But the more Sakura taught him, the slower Sousuke's progress became. _

_"Careful, Sousuke! Your extraction cannot harm the veins! You need to be exact to the millimeter!" Sakura had warned him."Precision is key!"_

_"Hai, okaasan!" Sousuke nodded firmly, struggling to maintain his composure. _

_Tenten frowned. "Sousuke's chakra control hasn't stabled yet. Why do you let him continue this? He won't get far." _

_As much as he hated the idea, Sasuke had to agree with Tenten; she was Sousuke's genin teacher. Now that he thought of it, Sasuke wondered about his son's choice to be a medic-nin. He couldn't tell which motive was stronger for Sousuke: the desire to save lives, or to never discover a killer instinct on the battlefield…_

_"Come on, Uchiha, a deal's a deal," Hyuuga Koji stated, grinning like the Cheshire cat._

_"Live it up, buddy," their friend Akimichi Chorin cackled._

_Watching from the supermarket, Sasuke noticed the way his son's face was drenched in sweat, and he was pretty sure it wasn't from training. Sousuke's ears went pink as he gulped._

_"You can't make me do this!" Sousuke cried weakly. "It's not fair!"_

_Koji laughed, throwing his arm around Sousuke's shoulder. "Aren't you supposed to be a man of your word? What happened to 'if you two don't become chunins, then I'll ask Shikana out?'"_

_"But I wasn't serious! That was just to encourage you guys to do better! I thought you guys would pass!"_

_"Yeah it encouraged us **big** time," Chorin grinned wickedly. Horrified, Sousuke gasped._

_"W-wait y-you guys threw the Exams j-j-just so-"_

_"Uchiha, let's be real," Koji started, pointing at the café where Shikana sat alone. "We can become chunins anytime. But you and Shikana...that's why we trick you into bets, you naive boy."_

_"B-But she's just a friend! She doesn't see me that way!" Sousuke blushed madly. _

_"Shut it, Sousuke," Chojin sighed. "You've liked her since we were eight. And you're her best friend."_

_"Who's been in the unfortunate state of the nice guy role," Then, Koji pushed him forward to the cafe, throwing Sousuke off-balance. "Now go get her before that idiot Inuzuka does!"_

_"If you don't, the Hokage agreed to do it for you," Chorin threatened, him and Koji with identical, evil grins. His friends could be so cruel._

_Hearing this, Sousuke's face was white as a ghost. However, he took a deep breath and walked to the cafe, back straight. Sasuke never saw his dweeby son look more confident. And maybe Sousuke would have been successful at asking Nara Shikana out if only her father hadn't shown up carrying two cups, thus causing the young Uchiha to dash away so fast. Sasuke shook his head. He thought he raised a son, not a chicken who constantly feared (of all people) Shikamaru..._

_Over two weeks since Sakura ended Sousuke's medical ninjutsu training, and from the outside, their son was perfectly fine. He was moving on quite well, returning back to regular training._

_If there was one thing he didn't want his children to take from Sakura, it was her ability to fake a smile. And Sousuke just so happened to master that skill._

_"I'm serious, Shikana, I'm fine!" Sasuke heard his son reassure the Nara girl when walking down the street. _

_"Are you sure?" Shikana asked, worried. "Koji said you two haven't sparred in a week; that's a record for you two." _

_"I've just been busy making new jutsus, that's all! I didn't want to bore him with the beginning stages."_

_"Well, would you mind sparring with me? I can help you test them."_

_"Um, I have to report to the Hokage right now. Maybe next time?" Sousuke finished with a smile before walking away. _

_That was it. The slight curve upward of the lips, glossy big eyes, an uneven rise of the eyebrows, a false excuse for a quick getaway. Sousuke was becoming more similar to his mother than Sasuke liked…_

_It was probably the seventh time that the Fire Daimyo sent a representative to Konoha, specifically seeking for Sousuke. And each time he did, both Sasuke and Sakura were required to be with their son as a requirement for parents. And it always went the same way._

_"Please, Sousuke-san! Joining the Daimyo's Court is the highest honor anybody in Fire Country could hold! He highly requested your assistance as a bodyguard."_

_"I understand and I'm grateful for the Daimyo for offering the position, but…" _

_"You'll have you own mansion! You could go anywhere and demand whatever you need under the Daimyo's name! All he asks is that you serve in his court. An opportunity like this can lead to a bright future for such a young boy."_

_"I'm sorry, sir, but…I-I can't take it," Sousuke apologized, bowing politely. "I belong to Konohagakure."_

_"But, Sousuke-san, please reconsider! This could clean up the Uchiha name by-"_

_"We're done," Sakura interrupted firmly. "My son's only fourteen. If he doesn't want to do it, he won't."_

_These decisions for their son, all these people requesting for Sousuke. They didn't know whether this was a good or bad thing. All they knew was how uncomfortable Sousuke got during these moments, especially for a boy lost on what he strived in his life..._

_The daughter of the Fire Daimyo had visited Konohagakure for a tour around the country. As new jonins, Sousuke and Shikana accompanied her throughout the five-day stay. And of course, the princess grew very attached (much to Shikana's annoyance, whom Sasuke discovered could be insanely jealous when the occasion presented itself) and wanted to keep it that way. Even if it meant the extreme._

_"HUH? F-F-Fiancée?" Sousuke repeated nervously, his face red as a tomato. _

_"That's right! Hokage-sama, I'm requesting that Uchiha Sousuke and I marry!" The daughter of the Fire Daimyo demanded as they were in Naruto's office. _

_Naruto scratched his chin, more entertained by Sousuke's fidget. "Hmmm, you can't get a boy more handsome than Sousuke."_

_ "But Hokage-sama! I'm barely sixteen and-"_

_"Are you calling me old and ugly? Just because I'm two months older?" She asked dangerously. _

_Panicking, Sousuke wavered his hand around, bowing repeatedly. "N-Never, Hime-sama! You actually, um, have good skin! It's just that, well, we've o-only known each other for a few d-days as escorts for your tour, and um, isn't that kinda fast-"_

_"Are you disobeying me?" She snarled._

_"Of course not. He hasn't grown the balls to ever make up his mind," Shikana answered dryly, rolling her eyes. Both Naruto's and Sasuke's jaw dropped. Rarely did she ever act like this._

_Sousuke turned red in embarrassment. Trying to diffuse the tension between the two girls, Sousuke faced his friend. "I-It's not that Shikana! It's just hard when dealing with, well, she is from the royal house-" _

_Sasuke scowled at his son's nervousness. "You dishonor the Uchiha name." _

_"But otousan!"_

_"Why are you listening to your flat-chest teammate, Sousuke-chan? Don't you know what you really want?" The princess had grabbed onto Sousuke's arm, pressing her chest against him. Sousuke squeaked like a mouse, pulling his face away from the princess. _

_"'Sousuke-chan?' 'flat-chest?'" Shikana repeated in disgust, her fingers pulling out a kunai very slowly, none of them hearing the door open. _

_"Sh-Shikana, calm down! I mean, there is something! Actually, you have a very nice chest that looks very healthy for a-"_

_"Her what looks **what**?" Shikamaru asked, horrified, upon entering the Hokage's office. _

_Naruto and Sasuke would have burst into evil grins and cackles had Sousuke not squeaked for the tenth time during the whole meeting. _

_"I-it's not what you t-think! Um, the p-princess was, w-well, she and Shikana, um, sir, I'm really sorry! I h-had no i-intentions of, oh god-"_

_"This is beautiful right here," Naruto commented, grinning cheekily. _

_"Hokage-sama! Otousan!" Sousuke cried, giving them the "Help me" eye as he stood in the middle between two glaring girls. Of course Sousuke would be the "chick" in this situation…_

_The Uchiha Manor had been much quieter the past week. Sousuke and Kimiko had their first mission together. Meanwhile, Sasuke and Sakura had been much occupied playing with Kenji the whole time, relinquishing their peace well. Kenji was happy, giggly, and innocent. They didn't have to deal with any moody teenagers until, well, they came home stomping straight to the front door._

_"Why do you have to be so uptight? It's not a big deal, niisan!" They heard Kimiko scream loudly._

_"I'm the team leader! You should have listened to my orders!" Sousuke snapped back. It wasn't easy to anger Sousuke, let alone be in an argument of this level. _

_"Yeah, a team of me and you! You were ganged up by at fifteen ninjas!"_

_"You didn't need to kill them! Imagine if they had children, huh? One of them had a wedding ring, Kimi!"_

_"Fine, let me know that you rather be dead next time," Kimiko rolled her eyes in frustration. "God, you sound so stupid."_

_"ME? Can't you hear yourself? Why are you so comfortable about kill-"_

_"I HAVE TO BE COMFORTABLE BECAUSE YOU AREN'T!" Kimiko screamed so loud that Kenji had to cover his ears, nearly whimpering into Sakura's arms. They knew Kenji hated seeing people fight, but one between his siblings was the worst._

_"The more scared you are of killing, the more I have to be okay with it! I gotta act when you can't! As long as you keep up with this goody boy nindo, I won't give a crap about killing if it means saving your ass! Stick **that** in your huge, inconsiderate forehead!"_

_A life taken to save another. They knew Sousuke could never comprehend that, not when he felt so guilty for being the latter. No matter how harsh and brutal his own sister was, even Sousuke knew that she was always right..._

_"T-Teuchi-ojisan, this is unnecessary," Sousuke insisted weakly when the owner gave him an extra large bowl of ramen. "I'm not that hungry. And I only paid for-" _

_"Nonsense, Sousuke! A good boy like you deserves extra!" Teuchi argued back, continuously pouring the vegetables in Sousuke's bowl. "Hold on, I'll cook more meat."_

_"But you always do this," Sousuke gulped. "I don't want to be a burden financially." _

_"As long as Naruto is the Hokage, Ichiraku's will be safe," Teuchi laughed loudly, scattering the pieces of pork across the grill._

_"Sousuke, you're always helping around the village. You carry groceries for Hirayama-san because of her back, heal some kid's ankle, or help me after Ayame left for the city. You have a good heart, Sousuke. Ramen is the only way I can express my gratitude for the things you do here."_

_Sousuke's expression saddened suddenly, his eyes staring blankly at the ramen bowl before him. "I'm not sure if I'm as great as people think-ITAI!" Teuchi had angrily whacked him with a giant spoon. _

_"What did I tell you about modesty, huh Sousuke? It does more harm than good!" _

_Sousuke rubbed his head, wincing at the tiny bruise. "But Teuchi-oji, I don't know when I do it! And I'm not that mode-OW!" _

_"You never learn!" Teuchi sighed, twirling the spoon in his fingers. _

_"You give me extra ramen, but you always hit me. I don't understand this logic."_

_"The only logic you need to know is that this meat is preparing the next Hokage right here!" _

_"Hokage? Next?" Sousuke blinked in confusion, some noodles dripping from his mouth. _

_"Sousuke, all the adults are talking about it," Teuchi's voice was suddenly serious. "Naruto's growing old, and you kids are getting stronger. It's almost time to hand the will of fire over to the new generation. It's too soon for Naruto to make a final decision, but… you're the obvious choice as his successor."_

_Two seconds later, Sousuke sputtered out noodle pieces and broccoli leaves on Teuchi's face. _

_"WHAT?" Sousuke screamed, flabbergasted. "B-But I can't be Hokage! Were they high? I won't know how to take care a village! I'm going to screw up! War will break out! Yeah, they were definitely high! The senpais had some sketchy stuff last week before the Jonin meeting! I don't want to do it, but I can't refuse Naruto-ji if he asks-" _

_Sousuke stopped when he heard Teuchi chuckling. He half-expected Ichiraku's owner to whack him for his supposed "modesty." Instead, Teuchi seem amused by Sousuke's panicking. _

_"Uchiha Sousuke, the boy who was born on the Sixth Hokage's inauguration ceremony," Teuchi smiled, slowly putting extra meat in Sousuke's bowl. "With a little faith in himself, he'll be a great leader to Konohagakure."_

_As he leaned against the tree, Sasuke couldn't help but silently agree with Ichiraku's owner. Faith, that's what his son needed. Faith that he was strong enough to withstand anything; that he wouldn't stray to a deadly path in life simply because he had his first kill. Sousuke had to believe in himself. _

_Not when Sasuke knew that Sousuke had long surpassed him, even when his son was in denial of that fact…_

Their first son was finally growing up. Sousuke had been too good of a son for Sasuke to handle. He laughed inwardly; Sakura had been too good of a wife too.

Sasuke could never pinpoint the similarities between him and Sousuke until someone else mentioned it. People said that Sousuke got cocky when fights took a turn, just like Sasuke. They said that when angered, he was prone to recklessness, like Sasuke. It wasn't that he didn't try; he just found their son more alike to Sakura than him.

He always did feel a bit better when people said that Sousuke was just like his mother. Heck, when Kakashi gave him the bell test, Sousuke fainted during the genjutsu portion. And Sasuke could easily see Sakura's influence on the boy, even in appearance. Aside from his wife, Sasuke didn't know anybody else who loved the same person since childhood.

What a strange combination in Sousuke. He had Sasuke's dark eyes, yet the warmth within was Sakura's. Odd, yet very unique. If people ignored the dark colors, they would see that out of the Uchiha brood, Sousuke looked most similar to Sakura. He liked that, seeing Sakura within their son. It gave peace to his mind.

"Isn't this exciting?" Sakura spoke up, smiling widely. "Our Sousuke with Nara Shikana? Oh, I can't wait until he marries her! Me and Ino can finally be sisters! You and Shikamaru would be amazing grandpas!"

Immediately, Sasuke turned grumpy, hating Sousuke all over again.

Out of all the girls in the village, Sousuke just had to fall in love with the daughter of a lazy idiot and a loud pig.


	21. To Be At Peace

Chapter 20: To Be At Peace

Smooth: That was how Uchiha Sousuke would describe his first date with Shikana.

He had to be real with himself: Within the first fifteen seconds of asking Shikana out on a date, an inner Sousuke was screaming in his mind that this was the worst idea. He should just turn back and go home. If he could, Sousuke would have whacked himself a thousand times for such stupidity. Basically, he had an undercover nervous breakdown, hiding it within a weak smile at Shikana for the first ten minutes into their date.

But then Shikana's hand tightened around his, and when he saw her bright smile, he was instantly relaxed again. Though slow and steady, Sousuke felt more confident with their date.

Considering his lack of knowledge on how to hold a proper date, they didn't do as much as Sousuke wanted to. The majority of their date composed of the two of them walking around the village; earning the occasional, shocked expressions from bystanders (did people really think he was that hopeless in the girl department?). They even spent a good fifteen minutes dodging Lee-sensei's speech on young love.

And still, throughout that night, it had gone well. Simple, yet so perfect to him.

"You're kidding me, right?" Sousuke scoffed in disbelief.

Shikana shook her head. "It's true! It's bad luck to buy a flower for a different purpose than it's meant! A man bought his fiancée a bouquet of bachelor's button flowers to be original, but unfortunately…"

"Because that flower means single and they broke off their engagement?"

"You remember the meaning? After all the hundreds I rambled about?"

"Of course I do; you like learning about flowers, so I have to remember them. And it's not hard to guess from the name either," Sousuke laughed.

"Really?" Shikana's eyes widened. "That's very sweet of you."

Turning away, Sousuke tried to wash away the blush that crept to his face.

And just then, he realized that they had already arrived back at Shikana's home, walking toward her front porch. He had done this many times in the past before, walking her home whenever it got too late. But those times had been after training or just hanging out. This would be the first as a date, and Sousuke held in his breath on knowing exactly what to do.

They stepped above her front porch, Shikana pausing to face Sousuke, smiling kindly.

"Well, thank you for taking me out tonight, Sousuke-kun. I really enjoyed it."

"Even if all we did was walk and run away from Lee-sensei's youth lessons?" Sousuke joked, though a tiny amount of guilt was building inside of him for not knowing what else to do. Why, oh why did he ask Shikana out on a date without a plan?

"But see, I like doing that with you."

How many times his cheeks warmed up, Sousuke didn't know. All that he could concentrate was not her blue eyes, but her soft lips just below him. They were pretty close, only inches away from each other. And she did not appear in any hurry to go back inside her house. And according to the darkness from the window, her parents or her brother Chomaru wouldn't be around to interrupt. If he dipped down just a bit lower…

But he shook away that thought. He stepped back slightly, smiling hesitantly at Shikana. Maybe another time…it's too soon…Yes, that's what he told himself instead of admitting that he was a bit scared of the idea.

"Um, it's almost dinner time," Sousuke stated. "Kenji will get super hungry and I need to make sure Kimi doesn't blow up the kitchen again. Goodnight, Shikana."

She nodded, but there was a sense of disappointment he could see in her eyes. Sousuke wasn't sure why; did their date go bad? Maybe she didn't like him back? So quietly, he smiled at her again, stepping down from her porch slowly, awaiting if he would ever get another chance at kissing her. But today, out of respect, he wouldn't.

"Sousuke-kun," she called out just before he was about to leave. He turned to face her, cheeks burning when he realized how much closer she was. Bravely, she touched his shoulders with both hands, pressing her forehead against his. He felt his breath hitch. Her lips curved into a smile.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" She whispered lowly, her breath teasing the corner of his lips. The closer she got, the faster his heart rate sped up.

Before he could answer, her lips pressed against his. Eyes widened, Sousuke was taken back; it wasn't like he expected Shikana, his dear friend for the last ten years, to initiate their first kiss. But slowly, he returned it, albeit nervous and twitchy (it _was_ his first). Slowly, he wrapped his arm around her waist, more to keep himself balanced than Shikana. It had caught him off guard, this sudden action. Soft, sweet, tender: it was exactly how he imagined his first kiss with Shikana.

Sousuke's lips felt dry when they parted, but Shikana's warmth had yet to leave. Her nose was still against his, and he was pretty sure his face was burning up fast. He could imagine his cheeks looking extremely pink. Shikana, however, seem much too calm. Rather, she was amused.

"Um, w-well, I-I-I, um, t-that was, erm, s-sorry, I've never -" he had never stuttered so hard until tonight.

"That's okay," Shikana giggled. "You're better than Kiyoshi."

"Really? Then I guess that's-** WHAT**?" Sousuke's annoyance of a certain Inuzuka elevated to new heights.

"Don't worry. He tried to kiss me, but awkwardly ended up at my chin. He's pretty sloppy."

Sousuke nodded, his mouth forming an "O." It sure sucked that he couldn't beat up Kiyoshi the next morning; he really needed to do _some_ training during his break.

"Don't laugh at me but..." Shikana started. "...I think I knew after the Fire Princess tried to take you away. Got jealous, and I've liked you since. So, I guess that makes it over a year."

"A year?" Sousuke repeated, eyes still wide as a golf ball.

"I know, right? You must think I'm a coward, hiding it for that long."

Sousuke laughed. "You? A coward? Look at me: it took me almost ten years to ask you out."

"What? T-ten years?" Shikana gasped in pure shock. "Oh my god, Sousuke-kun! I-I never knew that after all that time you…I'm sorry you had to endure through me complaining about all the boys I've crushed on…after all that, how do you still like me?" there was a guilt in her eyes that Sousuke didn't like.

Actually, he wondered how Shikana did not notice his crush (It was "dreadfully obvious" according to the whole village) after so many years. Aside Shikana and Nanako, who was the special exception of being the-sweet-cute-sister-he-wished-he-had-over –the-angry-terrifying-Kimiko, Sousuke wasn't close to many girls outside of his family. Shikana was the only girl he talked to on a daily basis.

Then again, Shikana was _very_ popular among the boys. He understood why Shikana never saw him more as a friend in the past; she had an unconscious preference for overly confident boys, and Sousuke knew he was nowhere in that range. And thus, he was always reminded of Kimiko's tough love lesson ("You could master all the jutsus in the world, niisan, but unless you grow a pair of balls with confidence and initiative, you're gonna die alone!")

And still, she always treated him as special. He grown accustomed to her constantly worrying about him whenever they had missions, talking to her when Koji wasn't around, even visiting her at the flower shop just because he felt like it. And even when he treated her like dirt because of his own personal problems, she never wavered, always sticking by his side. She endured all his dark days, all his moody moments, all his subtle aggression. So for Shikana to return his feelings after he waited for ten years…there was no way he'll take it for granted.

"I'm not sure either," he replied softly. "I just really love being around you, and that hasn't changed."

Shikana smiled, kissing him lightly again. Sousuke did everything in his power to restrain himself from squeaking in surprise.

"Thank you, Sousuke-kun," Shikana said. "I'm looking forward to next time."

"So that's a 'yes' to more dates?"

Shikana nodded her head playfully. "Mou, what do girls see in you and your clueless forehead?"

"You tell me," Sousuke shrugged. "You're my girlfriend."

"Just like that? No proper asking out?"

"I think it's an Uchiha thing."

"And people say you're a gentleman."

He smiled weakly in return. Glancing upward, he realized how dark the sky was.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Of course," Shikana laughed, walking over to her door. "Goodnight, Sousuke-kun."

"Goodnight too, Shikana," Sousuke said, watching the door close in front of him. When he heard Shikana footsteps go up the stairs inside, Sousuke stepped down from the porch, heading to the street. He lifted a hand to his face, his fingers grazing his lips.

A smile crept to his face; just moments ago, he had kissed Shikana for the first time. He tried to remember every detail how close they were, how she smelled of jasmine, soft strands of hair escaping to his face, and-

"Sousuke," a voice interrupted his thoughts. His heart stopped beating. On instinct, his mind went straight to his future death will. He recognized that bored, lazy tone from anywhere.

Because when he looked up, it was none other than Nara Shikamaru, standing right in front of Sousuke. Always, it was _always_ this man. The image of his tomb stone suddenly flashed in Sousuke's mind.

"S-S-S-SHIKAMARU-S-S-SAN-I-I-I MEAN TAICHOU I MEAN S-S-SIR FORGIVE ME! I-I-I W-W-W-WOULD H-HAVE ASKED F-F-FOR YOUR P-P-PERMISSION F-F-FIRST B-B-BUT, WELL, I-IT W-WAS SO F-FAST AND SHE S-SAID Y-YES AND THERE WERE NO ILL INTENTIONS-"

"What are you talking about?" Shikamaru asked, sounding the least bit interested in Sousuke's rambling.

Sousuke shut his mouth, holding in his breath in hopes that he would explode and just die at the moment. He was sweating as if he were stranded on a desert. When Sousuke was too nervous to respond, Shikamaru sighed.

"It's past dinner time. You should head home," Shikamaru replied, walking past Sousuke, his hands in his pockets.

_Maybe, he didn't catch us..._Deciding to drop the subject, Sousuke bowed respectfully, mainly to avoid looking straight into Shikamaru's eyes. "H-Hai, sir."

As Sousuke was about to leave the Nara Compounds, he was stopped again by Shikamaru's words. Only this time, they weren't so kind.

"Relax, Sousuke. There are more troublesome things in life than a girl who kisses first." Apparently, nothing can get past the Nara patriarch.

_H-He definitely saw..._

From just a few words, Sousuke, the legacy of the Uchiha clan, wanted to die.

* * *

><p>By the pier, two figures sat next to each other, shoulders leaned against each other, both pair of feet dipped in water. Flexing her toes, Sakura smiled at the cool sensation of the water. It was a nice way to end a long day of their anniversary; just sitting comfortably, next to Sasuke, where she always for the last twenty years.<p>

"Twenty years, huh Sasuke-kun?" she whispered softly, staring at the wedding bands around both their hands. She and Sasuke had made it that far, in their marriage. He never left once. Never had a revelation of revenge again. Never hurting her as much as he did when he fought for Madara. He had succeeded his promise, even if Sasuke himself was never aware of it.

Slowly, Sasuke gripped Sakura's hand into his, holding it gently in his grasp. His thumb rubbed over her wedding ring, as if soothing it. She smiled at this soft gesture. "I wonder how our marriage went so well."

"No it didn't. The kids ruined it," Sasuke grunted, earning a delicate laugh from his wife.

After spending so much time by his side, Sakura became fluent in Sasuke's way of words. It developed once each child came along, this supposed "hate-love" thing he created with their children. A nice bundle of three, they were; a joy that lightened up their lives. And as much as Sasuke hid it, Sakura knew how much their children affected him. And she enjoyed seeing that process almost as much as watching their children grow.

"You talk more, Sasuke-kun," Sakura commented. "Ever since Sousuke, Kimiko, and Kenji came. You realize that, don't you?"

Smirking, Sasuke couldn't help but agree. Yes, he had noticed that he started speaking in paragraphs, mainly out of his need to lecture his children during training. Whether it was an argument (screaming matches with Kimiko), a lecture, or a taunt, he did talk more. He remembered how when it was just him and Sakura, their relationship was a quiet one. She had been more than understanding that he was not a man of many words.

But he was glad that even through the simplest touches, even if it was just holding her while they watched the TV on the couch, that Sakura knew those were his ways of expressing his love for her. That when he did hold her, it was tight and firm, refusing to ever let her go. And when they talked, Sasuke preferred to listen to Sakura excitedly talk about her day, the patients she met, all the drama her girl pals go through, anything that made him hear her voice. Not only was he content with that, but even Sakura didn't mind his silence. She didn't try to change that part of him, but that didn't mean it never did.

When they started having children, Sasuke thought life would just be like his relationship with Sakura: quiet, but still full of warmth and love. Unfortunately, genes worked in funny ways, as Sousuke and Kimiko ended up being some of the loudest kids in the entire history of the Uchiha clan. The Uchiha people were supposed to be reserved, calm, polite, and quiet. But everyday was an explosion of Sousuke and Kimiko bickering all the time, it was hard not to say anything with those two. Thank god they grew out of it (to a certain degree, of course). He would have to blame Sakura for their excessive talkativeness. Especially, especially with Kenji.

"Are you happy, Sakura?"

Turning toward Sasuke, Sakura widened her eyes. There it was, in those dark, black eyes of Sasuke's. That small fear of whether he was good enough to be her husband, to be the father of their children, to do anything for them. She was familiar with that look, for there had been the occasion where Sasuke was close to being a broken man. And that did not involve his time with Madara.

"I should be asking that to you," Sakura replied, smiling. "I knew the risk of starting a family with you, Sasuke-kun. I knew that a family meant rebuilding the Uchiha clan, that some villages didn't like the idea. And I knew that our children might be endangered simply for being Uchiha. I know we wanted to keep their lives normal, but…yeah, it got tough sometimes."

Sasuke knew what Sakura meant. It was those moments in their lives where even after Madara was long dead, and Sasuke had been deem fit and good for Konohagakure, the crimes of their clan still haunted their children…

_Barely one month old, Sousuke was, and he already had his first kidnap attempt. What infuriated Sasuke the most was it was almost successful. _

_To his disgust, it had happened in the afternoon. He was in his office while Sakura was taking care of their first son. Some Rain-nin had ambushed Sakura, threatening to harm Sousuke if she took action, hoping to take him away without a fight. Luckily, Sakura was strong enough to cripple those Rain-nin and protect Sousuke safely. However, Sasuke was just as enraged upon discovering that Sakura did not win unscratched; she sustained broken bones and lost so much blood, she was barely alive. _

_ As relieved he was to find that the two people he loved most remain safe within the hospital, he wasn't settled yet. Sasuke went straight to the interrogation room. It only took three seconds from the time Sasuke kicked the door open, flashed his sharingan at one of the Rain-nin, grabbed for his neck, and slammed the attacker against the wall. Sasuke didn't even care that the Rain-nin was still recovering from the broken bones he received from Sakura. _

_"Going to kill me now?" The ninja taunted. _

_"You're lucky the Hokage's sparing your life," Sasuke growled. _

_Though Sasuke wanted to torture this man's brains out, questions still lingered. Why, after so many years of peace, were people after the Uchiha clan again? Of all times, why now? That was a good five years in between the last time somebody attacked Sakura. Unless-_

_"Piecing it out, haven't you?" The ninja cackled. "You think every ninja village wants Konoha to have another Uchiha running around causing trouble again? Those peace treaties broke once your brat was born. Sound attempted to assassinate your fiancée those years ago, before you could recreate your clan." _

_"Then why kidnap him? Why not kill him at the spot?" Sasuke spat out, anger building with each second. There was something even more sinister._

_At this, the ninja laughed. "Why waste a potential sharingan user when he could end up in our hands? Why not share some of your brats, when they're already here, for other villages? Until that boy knows how to use a kunai…I suggest you keep a good eye on your son."_

_That naïve world of peace for Sasuke shattered within that moment alone. Even if happiness was found, they could never fully relax. First it was Sakura; now, Sousuke was the target. Maybe in the future, people will stop trying to exterminate the Uchiha name. Maybe one day, the Uchiha clan will be cleansed of all its sins. And maybe Sousuke would be the one to start that. But right now, the reputation remains, and it would be a long time until that completely disappears. Yet, Sasuke remembered promising his son a normal childhood like any kid deserved…_

_He didn't realize how late it was that day until the lights flickered on suddenly, and Sasuke saw that outside the window, it was already nightfall. And according to the half-awake expression Sakura's face coming into the room, it was beyond midnight. Glancing at the clock beside him, he groaned at his confirmation. _

_"Sasuke-kun? Will you please go to bed? You didn't even say goodnight to Kimiko and Sousuke," Sakura yawned, then frowning at the numerous stacks of old papers on the dining table. She picked one up, raising an eyebrow. "Aren't these…" _

_Sasuke nodded. "Old Uchiha files." _

_Sakura was not pleased. Sasuke knew why; he had been digging these up recently and they always turned into these late nights of reading. _

_"What is it this time?" She asked, snatching a file from Sasuke's hand. _

_Knowing how pointless it was to hide anything from Sakura, Sasuke answered. "I need to know if women born to the Uchiha clan…" Sasuke's lips trembled. "…can pass down the sharingan." _

_"Like Kimiko? I don't understand. Why is this important?" _

_Again, he flipped over another file, sliding it to Sakura. He pointed toward a name. _

_"Uchiha Chie: Gave birth to boy within nine months of being raped by a Suna-nin. Suna kidnaps her son, but he dies at age four from the First Great Shinobi War." His fingers trailed to another name. _

_"Uchiha Kaoru: Raped and killed by Earth-nin." The paper flipped to another girl's name, Sasuke's voice growing unsteady. "Uchiha Miho: Raped by a Mist-nin." _

_"Sasuke-kun, stop reading this, please," Sakura plead, immediately cleaning up the papers. "You already have a hard enough time sleeping."_

_"The only three women born to the Uchiha clan, all raped and killed," Sasuke spoke in a shaky voice. The pattern was too similar to miss, the motive so obvious. His hand reached for Sakura's, gripping it tightly. _

_"You're tired. Please just come to bed and sleep-"_

_"What if the same thing happens to Kimiko?" Sasuke asked in a frightening tone. "What if she ends up like the rest? Sakura, what if-"_

_"Shhhh, breathe Sasuke-kun, breathe," Sakura hushed him, hugging him quickly. He returned the embrace, burying his face into Sakura's neck._

_"Sakura…I don't want Kimiko to end up like them…I don't want her hurt…" It was one of the rare moments where Uchiha Sasuke really was at the brink of tears in his entire life…_

_"People are after niisan, right? Because of his sharingan?" a twelve-year-old Kimiko had suddenly stated to him after a spar._

_On instinct, Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. He didn't know whether or not to be surprised that Kimiko found out. In fact, he was more curious on how long she hid this knowledge._

_"I'm not an idiot," she said, frowning at his reaction. "Koji-kun told me every foreign team went straight for niisan during the Chunin Exam. After niisan got his sharingan, you had Naruto-ji increase surveillance on travelers and delay his solo missions."_

_He didn't defend himself; as impulsive and rash Kimiko was, she could be highly perceptive when needed. _

_Defeated, Sasuke sighed. "Don't tell your brother..." he paused, staring at his own daughter. There was a certain power and determination inside her eyes that Sasuke never did find in Sousuke. And how her eyes narrowed with such seriousness, Sasuke thought he was looking in a mirror. "...And keep an eye on him."_

_Kimiko nodded. Inside, Sasuke felt bad. Kimiko was younger than Sousuke, yet she was the one that had to face the dangerous reality first. She had to let Sousuke be the naive one while Kimiko took in all that knowledge in his place. Sure, she was still immature, impatient, and loud as any child should be. Sometimes, Sasuke felt that in this case, he forced Kimiko to grow up too fast._

_In Sasuke's mind, Sousuke was the one that had to protect his little sister. But after years of Kimiko fighting her brother's bullies and lecturing Sousuke for always assuming the worst, it might be just the other way around..._

_"Shikana just told me what happened during the last mission," Koji started in the middle of a spar. "You let a ninja kick away your sword? After you broke both his arms? You, of all people?" _

_"Can we drop that?" Sousuke grumbled, more focused on finding an open spot._

_"Stop making this more personal than it should be," Koji reprimanded him. "We're shinobi; killing is part of our life."_

_"Doesn't mean its necessary," Sousuke grumbled._

_"And it doesn't mean risk your life instead! Don't you know how much that scares everybody? God Sousuke, what's the real deal here?" _

_"I can't kill! I don't care if people think I'm a goddamn genius, I won't!" Sousuke started shouting the loudest he ever had. "I know what all the adults and kages say about me! They're waiting for me to betray the village and become the serial killer my father used to be! And when I do, they'll blame him! They'll blame him and my mother!_

_"He can be an asshole, but he's gone through enough with his life! People still haven't forgiven him! It doesn't matter what I do, people will always think it's his fault! That's why I can't kill! Because I won't hold that responsibility, he will! I can't do that to him!"_

_The tiniest amount of tears brimmed around Sousuke's eyes. He shut his eyes tightly, never letting them fall, clenching his fist._

_"That's why..." his voice was shaking."...I can't take any chances that if I make a kill...I'll turn into some horrible person...and I won't be strong enough to change back...I can't let people blame my father if I screw up…I can't…"_

_There it was, Sasuke's greatest fear: when his son took upon a burden that he never was intended to. When out of his naïve mind, Sousuke made it his personal responsibility to save lives, as if to amend those slain from Sasuke in the past…_

Truthfully, he felt responsible for his family's pain. They endured things that only came from bearing his family name. It was a cursed name, and it will be for quite a long time. Although that dark time of his life was long gone, the horrors still came back to remind him of his terrible deed, Sakura and the kids being the primary targets.

And it helped him greatly that Sakura truly understand his guilt. She never forced him to think otherwise immediately; rather, she let him take it naturally, hoping that change would be healthier for him.

"There's been some hard times," Sakura commented quietly. "But…it's been really fun for the most part, hasn't it?"

In response, Sasuke smirked. He couldn't agree with her more. Being a husband and a father had been quite the roller coaster, the thrills getting better and better with time…

_Pants. Deep, heavy pants were all Sasuke heard on the training grounds, observing from the side. It was the first time Sousuke and Kimiko were training with their mother, and though both knew it wasn't going to be easy, they had not expected to die within an hour. _

_To be honest, Sasuke always thought Sakura's training would be tougher. There was a reason why Sasuke trained with the kids more than Sakura; Sousuke and Kimiko would have died very early in their lives. The case was even once when reminded that this was based from Sakura's training as a medic-nin._

_Both of them fell to the ground, breathing as if this was their last moment of life. And even though it was a gray cloudy day, the two were completely drenched in sweat, their clothes moist. And Sakura only stood in front of them, arms crossed, smiling. _

_"What this? You two are already tired from a warmup?"She teased. _

_"Warmup? Huff…t-t-that…was…huff…no…huff…warmup…" The ten-year-old Sousuke puffed. _

_"100 drills…huff…dodging explosives...huff…battling 50…huff…clones…oh my god..huff…" a nine-year-old Kimiko moaned._

_"Let me…huff…die …" _

_"Come on, we haven't even sparred yet!" Sakura added too cheerfully, earning more groans from their children. Those two never complained about Sasuke's harsh training ever again, not after enduring Sakura's..._

_Now, Uchiha Sasuke was well aware that Sousuke and Kimiko were capable doing incredibly, idiotic things in their life. But this moment that lay before his eyes… just redefined stupidity of all levels. _

_And unfortunately, their device was the innocent, one-year-old Kenji. _

_"Come on, you guys," Sakura sighed, fanning herself from the summer heat. "Kenji's barely crawling. Don't do this to him." _

_"It's okay, 'kaasan! He's a big boy, aren't you Kenji?" Kimiko cooed him on the forehead as he stared blankly. _

_"Hey, hey, I thought we agreed to no cuddling him!" Sousuke snapped. "That's right, Kenji, nobody likes girls! They have cooties!" _

_"Psh, like you don't even do it!" _

_Sasuke scowled. The two had formulated on a stupid bet on who Kenji liked more. Hence, they decided to see that by putting Kenji in the middle of their backyard, forcing him to crawl to whom he liked the most. _

_Both Sousuke and Kimiko stood on opposite sides of their backyard, leaving Kenji in the middle. He looked back and forth, looking to tear up. To elevate the poor boy's desperation, his older siblings hid Pochi the bunny away from him. _

_"Come on, Kenji! Oneechan's way cooler than niisan, right right?" Kimiko tried to lure him in._

_Kenji started to waver toward Kimiko, until Sousuke spoke. _

_"Don't listen to her! Kimi's so lame, Kakashi-jiji buried her in the ground!" Smiling, Kenji leaned toward his older brother._

_"Hey, you're one to talk when you fell for his genjutsu of Shikana!" _

_"Shut up! You didn't even pass the Chunin Exam! Even Outa got it!" _

_"My chidori is bigger than yours!" _

_"Is not!" _

_"Is too!" _

_"Why don't we test that?" _

_"You're on!"_

_Wailing, Kenji avoided both his siblings, running straight to Sakura instead. She sighed, rubbing their youngest son's back as she watched Sousuke and Kimiko battle out their chidori. _

_"Sasuke-kun, can't you stop those two?" Sakura asked, shaking her head. "They already forgot about Kenji." _

_"Hn," Sasuke shrugged. Now that they had a cute Kenji for him, he couldn't care less if Sousuke and Kimiko murdered each other at the spot. Better to have the little one than two moody teenagers…_

_One day, Kimiko and a group of girlfriends had decided to head out to the city for some civilian dance of sorts. And well, the preparations had not been too kind._

_"That is not how you hold it! Mou, niisan, aren't you supposed to be a genius?" Kimiko scowled, staring at the mirror in worried anticipation. _

_Sousuke glared at her, the curling iron in his hand. "Why can't Nanako do this for you? Or okaasan?" _

_"They're both working at the hospital today! Besides, I don't know how to curl hair on myself!" _

_"And **I'm **supposed to know? I'm not a girl!" _

_Kimiko rolled her eyes. "You can pass for one." _

_"What? Niisan's a girl?" Kenji gasped in horror, sitting on Kimiko's bed. _

_"Don't encourage her, Kenji! And what's that supposed to mean?"Sousuke gritted through his teeth._

_"Let's see: you wear an apron when you cook-" _

_"I don't want to get messy!" _

_"Because that just sounds **so** much manlier. You have this obsessive need to fold clothes that aren't even yours-"_

_"It takes up less space than dumping it in a pile like you do!"_

_"But you always destroy my clothes fort, niisan!" Kenji complained._

_"-You **love **watching those cheesy rom-coms to hide the fact you're too scared to ask Shikana out-"_

_"No, that's to know more about civilian culture!"_

_"Oh please! You're an even more depressing, hopeless romantic than all the girls in this village!"_

_"I thought girls like guys who are into that stuff!"_

_"Yeah, but that doesn't mean a guy who uses the whole freaking tissue box when watching that stupid The Notebook!" _

_"T-That's not true! And that movie has quality acting and the saddest ending! How do you not cry?"_

_"Because I shed more tears at your failure with Shikana than all the rom-com movies combined," Kimiko taunted._

_Ouch. It was settled: Sousuke would forever be wimpy against Kimiko's victorious burns. For every spar Sousuke beat her, Kimiko tore him down twice as hard in a verbal argument…_

_For the first time in years, Sasuke and Sakura finally had identical breaks. And thus, they used that opportunity to take their three children on a trip at one of those civilian beach resorts. Sasuke was looking more than forward to relaxing and doing absolutely nothing (Well, not exactly) with Sakura while their children ran around doing whatever they wanted. But unfortunately, several problems got in the way. And it was always the same scenario._

_Lying on the beach, Sasuke wanted nothing to do but rest and wait for Sakura to carry over drinks as they sat on the beautiful view of the ocean. Then he remembered that he had a toddler for a child._

_"Please, please, please, please, please can we make a sand castle, otouchan?" Kenji begged excessively. _

_Sasuke groaned from his comfortable position. "Get Sousuke and Kimi to do it."_

_"But they're not here!" Kenji whined. "And Pochi's paws aren't strong enough to carry the sand!" _

_"Go find them," Sasuke muttered, sighing in relief as he caught Sakura walking toward them with two drinks in her hand. He would have smiled had he not heard the ever-so familiar high-pitch scream that cursed this whole week. And it wasn't from Kimiko. _

_"Oh my god, what is wrong with civilian girls?" Sousuke cried, marching straight toward his family. Sasuke noticed a trail of girls winking seductively at his son, earning cringes from Sousuke. And then his babbling raged on for the fourth time that week._

_"One of them tried to pull my swim shorts away! They're force-feeding me mojitos, which were nasty! And do you see what they wear? That is not a bikini, that's a freakin' string! And these twins wanted to do a threesome on the beach! In **public**! And I thought girls in Mizugakure were crazy!" _

_"Awww you are so cute, Sousuke, running away from so many beautiful girls," Sakura laughed as she sat in her beach chair. _

_"Okaasan, there is nothing beautiful about a girl who throws herself shamelessly at random boys," Sousuke grumbled. "I rather talk to a girl who dresses modestly-"_

_"-Has perfect skin, brown wavy hair, blue eyes, last name Nara, first name Shikana!" Kimiko added gleefully, slapping Sousuke with her towel. "And that's assuming you're not too chicken to talk to girls in the first place."_

_According to the red bikini his daughter was wearing, and the oogly eyes of perverted teenage boys, Sasuke knew the third problem of the vacation routine was starting again. _

_"What. Is. That. **Thing**." Sasuke ordered dangerously. _

_"Enough, old man," Kimiko scowled. "We're on vacation; let loose." _

_"Sousuke, give her your shirt." _

_"Okaasan, he's being a prick again!" _

_"Sasuke, it's just a bikini. Beside, you never got angry when I wore one." _

_"That's because I rather see you without-" _

_"Oh my god, you and your sick mind," Sousuke rolled his eyes. _

_"Can somebody help me with my sand castle?" Kenji pleaded with big eyes. _

_"Cover up," Sasuke demanded. "Now." _

_"This isn't even bad, 'tousan! I saw this one chick skinny-dipping just moments ago! Be grateful I actually have something on!" _

_"Hey, I know that girl! She cornered me behind the vending machine just this morning!" _

_"Okay, niisan, you make yourself too easy."_

_"Kimi, don't joke about that stuff!" Sakura lectured. "What if that really happens to him?"_

_"What's that supposed to mean?" Sousuke raised an eyebrow. _

_"It means that **you're** more likely to get raped than killed on a mission."_

_"I still need help with my sandcastle!" _

_And for the rest of their weeklong vacation, the same argument and bickers would continue while all Sasuke could do was lie on the beach, helpless to fix the situation…_

Yes, his family did talk too much for Sasuke's liking. Yes, they were quite loud to be considered Uchihas. Yes, they did bicker a lot. And yes, sometimes Sasuke wished they could be quieter. But he wouldn't have them any other way.

For some reason, a part of him half-wished for his life to turn out this way. To constantly deal with his children's silly arguments and schemes sounded more pleasing than having the quiet kids. His life was livelier, if he were to describe it. True, they were always happy with each other, but their children brought a certain spark to their lives that wasn't there before.

A polite, sweet gentleman. An impulsive, but confident girl. A hyperactive, innocent kid.

He and Sakura made some strange kids. Incredibly, strange kids.

* * *

><p>"Ah oniichan! You're home!" Kenji exclaimed excitedly from the dining room, watching Sousuke entered the Uchiha Manor.<p>

Pulling off his ninja sandals, Sousuke smiled to his little brother. "Hey, Kenji. Is Kimi home?"

"Hai! She made dinner!" Kenji replied, pointing toward the dish in front of him.

Sousuke scoffed. "Kimi? Cook dinner?"

"What's wrong with that?" Kimiko pouted from the side, pointing a chopping knife dangerously at her brother.

Sousuke raised an eyebrow, knowing very well how un-Kimiko it was for her to actually cook. He examined the kitchen, a sweat drop forming upon the mess she made. There were at least a dozen pots and pans in the sink, a few bowls here and there that were still dirty. Some vegetable bits were splattered across the counter. Upon a closer examination of the trash can, Sousuke saw the slightest hint of a takeout box buried very deeply, probably an attempt to hide the evidence that Kimiko failed in the kitchen.

He sighed, shaking his head. "I guess some food is better than none."

"Yeah, you better appreciate it! I worked hard on this!" Kimiko lied, but Sousuke decided to let it go. He was too much in a good mood for something so trivial to ruin it.

Across from Kenji, Sousuke took a seat at the table. According to the lack of shoes near the front door, their parents had yet to return from their anniversary. He had no clue what they were doing, or any idea, really. That was a private moment between their father and mother. And sometimes, it was best that they didn't know.

"So, niisan, how was your date with Shikana?"

"Oh, it was actually very nice-WHAT?" He had been too late to realize, his cheeks burning up fast.

"So it was true!" Kimiko squealed. "You finally took her on a date! What did you two do?"

"H-How d-did you find-"

"Koji-kun heard from Outa-kun, who heard from Setsu, who heard from Megumi, who heard from that really cute cashier at the card shop, who heard from that Ryu-asshole who saw you on a date with Shikana! So tell me everything! What happened? You paid for dinner right? Did you two confess? What happened? Did you guys kiss?"

"Well -"

"Yes, they kissed!" Kakashi suddenly exclaimed from the window ledge, shocking Sousuke so much, he fell off his chair.

"WHAT THE HELL? YOU SPIED ON US?"

"OH MY GOD THEY REALLY KISSED?" Kimiko's eyes sparkled.

"Yes, he did!" Kakashi nodded his head, clearly ignoring Sousuke's glare. "It was so sweet. First, he was all shy because Shikana kissed him first-"

"SHE KISSED YOU FIRST? I TOTALLY CALLED THAT!" Kimiko hollered.

"I. Was. Not. Shy," Sousuke gritted through his teeth, despite his cheeks reddening with each second.

"-But then he held her so dearly! Simply magical, Kimi! He's such a big boy now! He didn't even faint after his first kiss!"

"OH MY GOD I HAVE TO TELL NANAKO-CHAN!"

"YOU ARE NOT TELLING ANYBODY!"

"Yay, oniichan and Shikana-neechan kissed! That means you'll marry her right? Because the only girl otousan ever kissed was okaachan, so you have to!" Kenji asked eagerly, jumping up and down.

Unable to hide his embarrassment, Sousuke laid his head flat on the table. He couldn't bear this anymore, and he didn't know how many times his face was red as a tomato today. As if running into Shikana's father wasn't horrible enough; now he had Kakashi and Kimiko to ruin his joy of kissing Shikana for the first time. Did people really have low expectations of him when it came to girls?

"Oh, it's nothing to be ashamed of, Sousuke-kun," Kakashi chuckled, patting the boy on the shoulder. "Although I'm surprised by how calm Shikamaru was to it."

"What? You guys kissed in front of Shikana's father?" Kimiko couldn't stop laughing. "THIS IS TOO HILARIOUS!"

It didn't take long for Sousuke to lose his appetite. "Kakashi-jiisan, why e-exactly are you here?"

"Well, I was looking for some older books in the _Icha Icha_ series to reread-" both Kimiko and Sousuke groaned. "Now, let me get to the good part! I stumbled upon something very interesting."

Pulling out from inside his hakama, Kakashi revealed a video tape. He laid it on the dining table for the three. All three Uchiha children looked at it with great curiosity, raising eyebrows. It was old and dusty, at least twenty years old.

"It belongs to your parents. Somehow, between them moving out of their apartment to here, this video came to my hands. I believe it's a good time to return it to you children."

"But what is it?" Kimiko asked.

"Well, why don't you three find out? I think you guys will enjoy it," Kakashi chuckled, immediately disappearing with a poof.

After Kakashi left, all three continued to stare at the video. Upon closer inspection, they noticed a date scratched out from time, further hiding its mystery. Then, in a sudden movement, Kenji had swiped the tape from the table, giggling.

"Let's watch it in otouchan's and okaachan's room! They have a video player!" Kenji exclaimed, sprinting upstairs. Kimiko and Sousuke followed, horrified.

"KENJI WAIT! WE HAVE TO CLEAN THEIR SEX-INFECTED SHEETS!"

"BAKA NIISAN STOP TALKING THAT CRAP IN FRONT OF KENJI!"

"OH YEAH AND OKAASAN ALWAYS BLAMES ME FOR CURSING IN FRONT OF HIM!"

"SHUT THE HELL UP!"

However, when they entered their parents' room, Sousuke and Kimiko were shocked to discover that it did not smell of…well, you know. In fact, it had a surprisingly fresh, clean smell. Even the bed sheets themselves were neat and tidy. That was, until Kenji landed on it, fumbling with the blankets into a disaster.

"Oneechan, oniichan, you guys know how to put in the video right?" Kenji asked, pointing to the TV across from the bed.

"I'll take care of it, Kenji," Kimiko replied, taking the video from Kenji's hand.

"If it ends up being a sex tape…" Sousuke cringed, not wanting to finish the thought.

As Sousuke climbed onto the bed to sit next to Kenji, their sister slid in the video into the player. She clicked the TV on, bouncing onto the bed quickly. The TV flashed, gray lines buzzing as it warmed on. Then, a familiar voice popped through the static.

_"-oh my god, oh my god, I'm so happy, I'm so happy. This is going to be the best day ever!"_

"Wait, that sounds just like…" Sousuke's eyes widened as a whiskered, tanned face came into view.

"Naruto-jiichan!" Kenji exclaimed.

"No way! He looks so young!" Kimiko gasped. "How old is this tape?"

_Indeed, it was Naruto, probably about twenty years old. The camera flew back slightly, showing Naruto's top half, as if he was holding the video camera in front of him. He was wearing a very formal dark suit, a white flower in one pocket. In fact, Naruto was grinning more widely than usual. _

_"Let's see, who shall we bother first?" Naruto muttered to the camera, bouncing it back and forth between two regal hallways. It stopped when another blond woman, dressed in a red gown, came into view as she entered a room. _

_"Hey hey Ino, hold the door for me!" _

_"Naruto, you baka! You're not allowed in here!" _

_"Demo, I wanna see her!"_

_"No! This is for girls only! Shouldn't you be taking care of Sas-" Naruto ignored Ino, running straight into the room. The camera shook violently up and down, a figure in white blurred across the screen._

_"Oh my god, Sakura-chan, it looks so amazing!" The camera hung down to the floor, showing a hint of lace fabric on the floor. "I KNOW HINATA-CHAN IS THE ONE GIRL FOR ME, BUT TODAY, YOU ARE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GIRL IN THE UNI-OW!" Naruto side-stepped, bringing the camera up again to show him rubbing his elbow. Afterward, strands of pink hair flew across the screen._

_"Naruto, you're not supposed to be in here! Get out NOW!"_

That voice. All three Uchiha children knew that voice very well. It was the same voice that soothed them whenever they had problems in their life. It was the same voice that yelled at them all to come down for dinner or else she would drag them all downstairs herself. It was the same voice that lectured at them whenever they forgot to do chores or didn't try hard enough during training.

That voice in the video belonged to their mother, Haruno Sakura, as a young woman, wearing the same white dress she wore in the wedding photo.


	22. When Reality Surpasses Dreams

Chapter 21: When Reality Surpasses Dreams

I'M BAAAAACCCCCKKKKK! (But skip this after the line break if you hate author's notes!)

So the reason I haven't done author's notes for a few chapters was because I made a Tumblr for it. I guess it's not that big of a deal, but I do have a tumblr for all my fanfiction/manga stuff. If you're interested in my writing process and my random ramblings, it's nakoujou(dot)tumblr(dot)com.

Anyway, let's start off with me (once again) apologizing for my lack of update. This period was extremely stressful because college letters came out. And guess what? I GOT INTO UCSD, MY DREAM SCHOOL! So yeah, I spent a week just dying in happiness and getting college ready, such as open house day, housing, etc. I was so happy, I can't even describe how I'm feeling right now. It's still so unbelievable. A lot of people put me down, saying that they consider ucsd their bakup school, but honestly, I don't care. I got in!

Also, I would like to remind you guys that as much as I want to update at least once a week, it is realistically impossible for me to maintain a weekly schedule. I have a very busy life for senior year, especially since I have to do extra-training on Track. The Key Club aspect is almost done, but now I gotta get hard for track. I'm spending longer hours at the track, warming up better and taking care of my diet. I've been doing extra exercises, all that jazz to insure I can go to States this year. That is the dream right now. Again, I apologize for any future lack of updates, but please be patient and understanding! My only goal left is to aim for States at Track.

By the way, I had this random spur of creativity and wrote this anthology series called "Amor, According to Nara Shikamaru," which you can find on my profile. It's basically a collection of where you experience all the typical love cliches, such as vampires, romeo/juliet loves, bodyguard, etc that you often seen on fanfiction...through the eyes of Shikamaru. So far, the responses have been pretty positive, but please do check it out! I'm trying to expand my potential since I don't want to write SasuSaku ALL the time (though they were my first target of the series, hehe). Please, tell me what you think! Since that's the anthology, that will probably be my side project. I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do for my next big one (maybe return to my Yugioh one?) but I think I'll take my time with that.

I would like to state that the next chapter will be the epilogue. It will be a three-part epilogue, so we are almost coming to the ending. I don't know how I'll feel as I get there, but we'll just have to see. Again, thank you for all the support since the beginning to all my loyal readers. It really, really means a lot to me and I want to do a proper thank you later when I get to that point!

Now, sorry for the long author's note! You may proceed to the chapter!

* * *

><p><em>There she was, her face across the screen. They had seen photos of their mother in her youth many times, but never like this. She was young and just as beautiful, her green eyes making it impossible to look elsewhere. Her wedding dress was even more gorgeous in the video than the wedding photo. It was strapless, a lacey train flowing on the ground. Her hair was still a mess, probably trying to fix it before the big moment. And though she wore no makeup, her face was glowing.<em>

_Even if it did express an annoyance at Naruto._

_"Naruto, for the last time, get out!" Sakura yelled at him, trying to shove him out of the room._

_"But Sakura-chan, why can't I stay? I mean, you look so pretty! Teme's so lucky to have you!" _

_The camera jumped to another familiar brunette woman, who was often seen in twin buns. Yet in the video, how wavy hair flowed down to her shoulders, and her expression was just as grumpy, a few makeup brushes in her hands._

"Whoa, Tenten-sensei?" Sousuke gasped, staring at his former teacher.

"Where's her cinnamon bun thingy?" Kenji asked, confused as his hands motioned to his head.

"It's so weird seeing all of them in here..." Kimiko whispered in shock. "...They're so young."

_"Naruto, we're serious! Ino needs to fix her hair and I still haven't started on her makeup!" Tenten screamed. "Isn't it enough that Sakura's super nervous?"_

_"Hey put that camera down!" Ino cried, her hands reaching forward to the screen, but failed as Naruto backed away. "I don't want you sneaking her wedding dress to Sasuke!"_

_"Why would I do that?" Naruto scoffed. "I want Sasuke to be blown away by Sakura's beauty!"_

_"Ah, please don't mention him!" Sakura cried, immediately sitting down. She stared at the mirror, distraught._

_"Ne, ne, Sakura-chan, is everything okay? You look scared."_

_"Of course I'm scared!"Sakura admitted, almost shamefully."Don't get me wrong; I'm super happy that I'm about to marry the man I love. But this is Sasuke-kun we're talking about and..." she paused, playing with the engagement ring inside her hands. "...What if I'm not a good wife to him? What if I'm not meant to be an Uchiha? What if he leaves again-"_

_"Sakura-chan, stop talking nonsense!" Naruto sighed, laying the camera down on another chair. He came into the screen, kneeling down before Sakura. He grabbed her hand tightly, and stared at her with a huge smile. _

_"Sasuke, he...he's so crazy about you. You gotta remember that he's not marrying you just to rebuild his clan; he truly loves you. You are everything good in his life. Yeah, maybe we still have to get that stick out of his ass, but I've never seen him so happy until you guys got together. All because of you."_

_Slowly, Sakura's lips curved into the smallest of smiles. Upon a closer look, her eyes seem glossier, probably from new tears. She leaned forward to kiss Naruto on the cheek. "Thank you, Naruto."_

"AHHHH OKAACHAN KISSED SOMEONE BUT OTOUCHAN!" Kenji screamed in a panicking tone. "Now otouchan has to kill him!"

"Relax, Kenji, it's just Naruto-ji," Kimiko rolled her eyes. As if their father didn't threaten to kill the Hokage enough for a lifetime.

_Naruto stood up, chuckling as he picked up the camera, the screen jumping all over again. "And don't worry, Sakura-chan! Sasuke will be loyal! We had strippers wear pink wigs at his bachelor party to test his hormones, and he just ran back to the apartment looking for you! Guess he forgot you had your own party, too."_

_Sakura laughed. "Wouldn't you **love** to hear my bachelorette party?"_

_"Now **that** was fun," Tenten added very suggestively at the last part, both her and Ino grinning wickedly as they started their work on Sakura. The screen ran straight up to Ino._

_"Hey, hey, I wanna hear about this-" the camera jerked backward, the scenario returning back to the hallway. Before them was a grey-haired man, wearing a black suit. The bottom half of his face was, as always, covered in a mask. The only part missing was a certain perverted book that was always in his hands._

"What? Kakashi-jiji still looks the same. That's no fun," Sousuke sighed.

"Mou, I thought he would look totally different so we can have some shock factor," Kimiko added in.

"Ah, Kakashi-jiji's been wearing the same mask for a billion years!" Kenji cried innocently. Sousuke and Kimiko didn't bother to fix it.

_"It's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding," Kakashi reminded cheekily, slowly closing the door before._

_"THAT ONLY WORKS FOR THE GROOM, KAKASHI-SENSEI! AND WHY DO YOU GET TO GO IN?" Naruto whined._

_"Who else will give her away to Sasuke? Now run along, Naruto. I'm sure the groom will need his best man soon." With that, the door slam shut. A strangling noise escaped from the screen, probably from Naruto. And just as last time, the camera bumbled as Naruto jogged down the hallway, into the opposite direction._

_"Let's see, where's teme's room again?" Naruto muttered again, forcing the video camera to face him. "Hey future Sasuke, future Sakura, future Uchiha Naruto: I'm betting you my chances of becoming Hokage that teme's worrying the same thing as Sakura-chan right now-Ah, here it is!"_

_The camera stopped at an identical-looking door. This time, no noises were coming from the room, almost completely silent. Naruto's hand pushed the door open, revealing a dark-haired man, looking in the mirror as he fixed his tie. His shoulders appeared to have jumped slightly at Naruto's entrance, his head turning in shock at his new visitor. Though his face was still hard and chiseled as usual, there was a youthfulness that had been lost for the last few years. His black eyes widened at the sight of Naruto._

Kimiko gasped, horrified. "Holy shit, 'tousan was hot! What the hell happened?"

"That sounds so awkward, Kimi."

"Just look at that, niisan! How did he change from a stud to an ugly geezer? At least okaasan's always pretty!"

Sousuke sighed. There was no point in continuing; any argument with Kimiko was a losing one. To be honest, he had to agree with his sister. His father looked quite handsome in the video. Aside from constant reminders from family friends, it wasn't hard imagining a herd of girls chasing his father back then. Now, Sousuke lost count of how many gray hairs he found in his father's head. Even the corner of his father's eyes had wrinkles growing.

_On the screen, Naruto wolf-whistled lowly. "Looking very suave, eh? Such a big boy, tying a tie all by himself in a big boy's tuxedo, making Uchiha Narutos with Sakura-chan tonight, and-"_

_"Shut up, dobe." _

_At that moment, his face wasn't so hard anymore, but almost frightened. Despite the video's poor quality, there was the smallest bead of sweat on their father's forehead. He seem to be holding his breath, not daring to take another. For a man who had such an aloof, calm demeanor...he looked nervous._

_"Naruto..." Sasuke gulped. He was a man who rarely hesitated in his choice of words. "...This was a good decision, right?"_

_Quickly, the camera flashed back to Naruto's face. "W-What are you talking about, Sasuke?" Then, his puzzlement disappeared with a victorious look, his lips mouthing the words "I told you!" to the camera. Once more the camera returned to Sasuke._

_"Sakura, she..." their father's eyes were downcast, almost lost. "...did she really accept my proposal? Or did Akatsuki come back, put me in a genjutsu, and when I wake up, she'll-"_

_"Who would have thought you'd get pre-wedding nerves?" Naruto laughed lightly, once again laying the camera down. His body came into full view, rubbing Sasuke's shoulders as if to relax him._

_"It's not a genjutsu or a dream, Sasuke. You actually came back to Konoha, alive. And you're about to marry Sakura-chan this afternoon. You love her, she loves you. Just because life's going too good for you doesn't mean something bad will happen," Naruto said softly. "Relax, man. If you're going to leave the village again for some random revenge, at least stay long enough to see Sakura in the dress. She looked so beautiful!"_

_At that comment, Sasuke smiled softly. "Did she?" _

_Naruto shook his head. "Totally! I mean, I would show it to you on the video, but that's bad luck, so-"_

_"What video?" Their father's voice was dark. He turned around, staring straight at the screen, his face glowering._

_"I thought you turned that off, dobe!"_

_"What's wrong?"_

_"Delete all of that!"_

_"Hahahaha, you're so embarrassed, being a huge softie."_

_"Naruto..."_

_"Ahhhh, I gotta check on the cake!" Quickly, Naruto picked up the video camera, the screen blurring from the room to the door. "I'll be right back, Sasuke!" There was a loud slam of the door in the background, and the camera screen was back to trudging along through the hallway._

Kimiko grinned wickedly. "Ooohhh, guess the old man can be lovey-dovey too."

Sousuke laughed. Rarely did they hear their father talk about his emotions when regarding their mother. The man talked about their "bedroom lives" so often that Sousuke and Kimiko started to believe that their marriage was only successful because of that part alone. But really, as most people said, their father was a man who kept to himself, somebody who did not speak his emotions loosely. In reality, he had a tender, soft side that long ago, was reserved only for their mother.

How fitting for his father to act in such a way. Anybody with a cold and tough exterior as their father was bound to have a deeper softness within. Their father was no exception.

_The screen cut to another scene, now outdoors on a grassy field. By one corner, a tall, cherry blossom tree stood in full bloom, pink petals floating across the sky. Red velvet chairs lined up in rows, many of Konoha's citizens in the process of taking their seats. A quiet squeal escaped from Naruto._

_"Ahhhh it's almost time!" Naruto said, doing a 360 with the camera. "But I can't record too long. I have to be up there with teme. Hmmm, who can record? Who's going to-oh heeeeyyy, Kiba!"_

_The camera landed on four young men, all dressed in black suits. The one with spiky brown hair turned around, confounded._

_"What, Naruto?"_

_"Record the wedding! Sakura-chan's going to kill me if we don't get video!"_

_"Oi, I wanna enjoy this in peace! If I screw something up, she'll kill me instead!"_

_"Fine, fine! Shino, how about you?" The camera skipped to a man in dark sunglasses, facing downward._

_"Why would I? It's not like I was asked to be Sasuke's groomsmen anyway," Shino mumbled. "Or sent on his retrieval mission-"_

_"Oh, get over that! Lee, what about-"_

_"You want me to record the wedding of Sasuke-san and Sakura-san?" Lee's eyes twinkled. "BECAUSE I WILL DO ANYTHING TO MAKE SURE THEIR MARRIAGE LAST A LIFETIME AND BEYOND!"_

_Jerkily, the screen pulled back as Naruto's regretful expression came into full view. Lee's incoherent speeches were barely audible as Tsunade dragged Naruto by the collar, yelling something about dragging Sasuke to the altar and how it was almost time. The slightest glimpse of Shikamaru, Neji, and Naruto gathering together at the altar lasted only a second as the camera shifted to an overly-excited Lee._

_"I can't believe it! In just a few minutes, Sakura-san will come out in her beautiful gown! She'll be the blossom as her namesake, precious as Sasuke-san holds her-" _

_"Quiet down, Lee! It's starting!" Kiba barked lowly. _

_"Hey, move the camera there!" Choji directed, the camera shifting to the aisle. _

_Indeed, the wedding was beginning. Walking down the grassy aisle came three women dressed in red, holding small bouquets of flowers. All three had their hair, blond, black, brunette, flowing down their backs. _

_"As expected from the kunoichi of our village! Ino-san, Tenten, and Hinata-san coordinate their looks so perfectly!" Lee muttered, his voice almost breaking. "Imagine what Sakura-san would look any moment now!" _

_"Oi, what did we tell you?" Kiba scowled. "Sakura's gonna have our heads if you don't shut up!" _

_"Right, forgive me!" Then, Lee panned the camera, following the bridesmaid walk up to the side. And then, the audience stood up gracefully, all eyes turning behind them. Naruto jerkily shook Sasuke's shoulder, pointing behind him. _

_"See, I told you!" Naruto whispered, too giddily from his excitement. Just one second, and they had caught their father's eyes widen the largest they ever seen. And the happiness and warmth within those usually cold, dark eyes…it was unmistaken. It didn't take an idiot to guess why either. _

_Slowly, two figures came into view. striding down the aisle. One, tall and dark in his black tuxedo, a mask still covering his bottom half of his face. Although Kakashi was still a handsome man for his age, he was not the center of attraction. The woman in white clutching his arms, however, was the center of attention. _

_Her strapless gown accentuated her toned shoulders well. The lacey train did not stretch far, but only enough to fly with the cool breeze on the video. Her pink hair, despite a messy updo, couldn't look any better as few strands escaped to frame her heart-shaped face perfectly. She held a giant bouquet in one hand, the other shakily gripping Kakashi's. She was nervous, yes, but the smile on her face said that her happiness far exceeded the before._

"OH MY GOD! Just look at her!" Kimiko yelled.

"Wow, I'm so lucky to have a pretty mother!" Kenji exclaimed.

"Yeah…makes you wonder how the old man got her in the first place," Sousuke joked.

_A high-pitched cry was evident from the camera, neither belonging to Kakashi or Sakura in the screen. _

_"Sakura-san…sniff…is so…sniff…beautiful…" Lee cried tearfully. "Nothing could…sniff…compare to..sniff…her in the…sniff…universe! Just look at how…sniff…ethereal she walks…sniff…like a god-"_

_"We get it Lee, now quiet down!" said Choji. "I don't think Sasuke would like to watch his wedding ten years later of you crying the whole time."_

_"But I can't help it!" Lee wailed, shaking the camera with his emotions. "How else can I express my overflowing emotions upon seeing such beauty before my eyes?" _

_The camera shifted to the altar, where Sakura paused for a moment to face Kakashi. They exchanged few words before Sakura leaned in to kiss his cheek briefly. Kakashi nodded toward Sasuke, who understood his message quite clearly. Slowly, Kakashi left the two, walking back to his seat. As their mother and father turned to face the priest, the wailing returned. _

_"Just look at this perfect union," Lee commented under his breath, yet loud enough so that he spoke over the priest's speech. "Look at how less colder Sasuke-san appears with Sakura-san by his side! She is the rock that keeps him standing! She is the one that breaks his wall of eternal darkness-"_

_"Lee…" Kiba growled threateningly, but Lee ignored. The priest had paused as their mother and father turned to face each other, the glow evident on their faces. Even as the priest reached the "I do" statements, Lee could still not control himself. Their father may have been on the screen, his lips moving, but no words were heard over their unexpected narrator._

_"Here it is! The long-awaited promises! The promise that will forever seal Konoha's lovely cherry blossom as Uchiha Sakura! And-oh! Just listen to how the easily and lovingly the words flow from Sasuke-san! And he makes it sound so natural!" Lee was at the point of tears. _

_"Lee, nobody can hear him over you," Shino said. Now, Sakura was talking, but once again, she was overthrown. _

_"Oh, and just look how happy Sakura-san is! After so long, what was once a dream has now become a reality! For her to see this dream come true, that Sasuke-san there next to her and not with the evil forces of Uchiha Madara! That he really did return just for her! Her love was so powerful, it brought him back to Konoha!" _

_"I'm pretty sure Naruto dragged him back. Forcefully," Choji emphasized the last part. _

_"And he and Sakura definitely did not make lovey faces for a good few months," Kiba added, but Lee continued. _

_"Look at how gentle Sasuke-san is as he puts the ring on Sakura-san!" And indeed, their father was sliding the ring through her finger. "And look at how Sakura appears to almost start crying-OH MY GOD THIS IS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL SIGHT!" _

"Hey, this wedding video isn't very good," Kimiko said dryly. "It's just Lee-sensei rambling."

"Yeah, but don't you think that makes it interesting?" Sousuke wondered. "Better than twenty minutes of complete silence."

"But niisan, we didn't even hear their speeches! I was kinda hoping to hear 'tousan say something nice about okaasan in public."

Sousuke just smiled; he was too attentive to the video at the moment to say anything else. He watched it like a child who first discovered movies. They way his parents smiled at each other, just seconds away from embarking on a new journey in their life…it entranced the eldest Uchiha.

_The priest glanced between Sasuke and Sakura, muttered the few words that were overshadowed by Lee's gasp. _

_"OH MY GOODNESS THEY'RE ABOUT TO KISS! THIS WILL BE THE KISS OF CENTURY!" Lee whispered loudly, unable to hide his enthusiasm._

_And very gently, their father held onto their mother's hand, pulling her slowly toward him. He leaned down, smirking as his lips was just about to close the gap between him and their mother until-_

_The screen went green. _

"AHHHHHHHHH WE MISSED IT!" Kimiko and Kenji screamed in rage.

_"Lee you idiot! How did you drop the camera? You could have broken it!" Choji cried. The screen moved jaggedly again, as if being picked up. A large hand wiped the entire screen, Choji's face coming into view. He examined the screen carefully for any dents or damage, sighing in relief when he found none. _

_"Forgive me, Choji-san! I couldn't help myself!" Lee apologized, his tears turning into waterfalls. "It felt like time stopped when they kissed! I could feel the intensity of their everlasting love with that kiss!" Cheers and applause erupted in the background, but no sight of the couple as Kiba and Choji checked on the camera. _

_Then, Naruto's voice came. "Hey, hey, you guys did a good job on that video right?" _

_Kiba gulped. "Naruto, please convince Sakura to not see it until after she comes back from the honeymoon…"_

_Aside from the audience's screams, there was a silent between the men for a good minute. Nobody moved, not even the screen. _

_"You guys are in some deep shit," Shikamaru commented. _

_Then, all their heads drooped. _

"Heehhh…no wonder they never showed us this," Kimiko said. "Guess the old man regrets not hiring a professional."

_But the video continued. Now, it was a collage of moments, nothing continuous as before. It jumped to Sakura cutting a 5-layer cake, handing the first piece to Kurenai's son. Sasuke held Naruto by the collar, preventing him from snatching a few extras. Another scene jumped to their mother, ready to throw her bouquet to a group of eager girls, only for them to land smack in Shikamaru's hands. It didn't take long for Ino to jump in joy as all the boys ribbed Shikamaru to no end. _

_The scene switched again to Iruka and Gai uncharacteristically singing enka, a glass too many of wine in their hands. A drunk Tsunade had stolen Sasuke from Sakura on the dance floor, calling him "Dan" as Sakura and everybody else laughed at the Uchiha's embarrassed, pissed expression. _

_A lively celebration it was, ending as Naruto taped Sasuke and Sakura, nearly exhausted as they sat next to each other at their table, shoulders leaning against each other, almost dozing off. Kakashi had gently tapped Sasuke on the shoulder, informing of the lateness. Nodding, their father stood up, smiling as he scooped their sleeping mother in his arms, her white train dropping to the ground. And just before they departed from their own wedding, their father quickly kissed her on her forehead. _

And although the wedding itself was over, as it was just any other 24-hour day, the video did not end. This did not lessen Sousuke's delight as the scene changed again as always, just as many things would happen in life.

A sneak attack of catching their father red-handed, attempting to make sushi for the first time, yet nearly chidori'd the sink off when he grew frustrated. Another where Naruto followed their parents (in an almost stalker-ish way) as they walked down the aisle of a market, bickering back and forth about tomatoes and sweets and spicy food. Jump to another, where Sasuke opens the door only to be pounced on by Naruto, who loudly declares that Tsunade just named him as her successor for Hokage. Switch again to a grassy field off the lake, their mother swearing as she tried to fish for the first time, their father watching behind in pure amusement.

There was so much to their parents that he never saw. How young they used to be. How full of happiness and joy they were, and still are as of this day.

Sousuke wasn't sure how long he continued to watch the video. He didn't realize how late it was until he glanced to the side and saw his two siblings, sleeping silently. Kenji, once again, sprawled everywhere in the middle as Kimiko made up for the side. Sousuke smiled; he was so entranced by his parents' early lives that he didn't even notice when his Kimiko and Kenji fell asleep. Quietly, Sousuke stood from the mattress, walking toward the TV. He crouched in front of the video player, his fingers just about to press the tape off.

_"Sousuke?" _

He stopped upon hearing his name, hearing the gentleness in his father's voice. Sousuke stared back at the screen, eyes widening.

_On the screen, his father lifted a baby boy from the crib into his arms. Soft laughter escaped from both son and father as their face met. The rare smile on his father's face seem so effortless. The happiness was very natural, not the least bit forced at all. And it all came from a tiny boy that Sousuke recognized as himself. _

Sousuke knew he and his mother were the only two in the family with wide foreheads, just like the baby in the screen. Was it that easy to make his father smile like that?

_"Look," his father pointed to the screen, glancing down at the young Sousuke. "Say hi to your mother."_

_There was a mysterious giggling, the owner unseen. The baby Sousuke's eyes enlarged, probably confused at the video camera in front. _

_"Mou, you two look so cute," his mother mused, inching forward to the pair. "Sasuke-kun, get me in too. I don't want you hogging our son." _

_His father sighed lightly, awkwardly maneuvering Sousuke and the video camera with his mother. Now, his mother was in the screen, Sousuke in her arms. She was still young, albeit slightly older than the wedding. Her hair was short again, just grazing her shoulders. His fingers reached up to touch her cheeks, which she complied to lovingly. _

_"Hmm, you like me better, don't you, Sousuke?" Sakura teased. _

_His father's scowl did not go unnoticed. "Oi, Sousuke. You better appreciate this. She's pretty now, but in a few years, she'll be old and wrinkly-"_

_"Sasuke-kun!" His mother snapped, but his father only responded with more laughing. They were so comfortable with each other._

_"You know…" Sakura began as she snatched the camera away from Sasuke's hand. "…I could show Naruto you being a huge softie with Sousuke. I'm sure he'll know how to distribute the great Uchiha Sasuke being…not a total ice cube. He did give us this video camera for a good reason." _

_His father sent a death glare to the screen, the slightest hint of a Sharingan popping through. His eyes basically scream "You wouldn't," but his mother's laugh suggested that she couldn't care less about his silent threat. _

Again, his parents proceeded to engage in a light banter on the television screen. And all Sousuke could think was how sweet they were when no one was looking. People really were right when they said that his parents had a very private romance between them. Slowly, he slid back to lean against the headboard, thinking that it was alright to watch a few more minutes of his parents on screen. There was something very cute about their relationship that made Sousuke eager to search for more hidden home videos. But he can always save that for another day. He had all the time in the world.

* * *

><p>Late at night, a man and woman returned home, expecting to fall right away on their bed. Instead, they find their bed taken by their three children, all sound asleep. Kenji, despite his tiny body, took up the majority of the space in the middle, his arms and legs spread wide. His older siblings, Sousuke and Kimiko, only slept on each of his sides, almost protecting him from ever rolling off the bed. They breathed in synch, so effortless and peaceful. They must have been exhausted from a long day; none of them woke up to their parents' opening the front door.<p>

Sasuke and Sakura did was just smile. She leaned into his shoulders.

"We did good, ne Sasuke-kun?"

He nodded, wrapping his arm around her. "Ah."

In fact, they really did a pretty good job with their three children. Two were already successful ninjas, their potential screaming for even more to come, and another who was next to continue the dream. They were happy kids (for the most part), and it didn't matter what people said about them. It didn't matter who was most similar to Sasuke or whose appearance screamed "Sakura" or if their kids were nothing like them. People said many things about the growing Uchiha clan.

Because what mattered most was that they would have another day with their children. And another day after. And so on. Because even if their time to leave the family and start another was coming soon, they would at least have time.

Sakura didn't miss the dark chuckle from Sasuke. "What's so funny?"

"Sousuke's sleeping in a clean bed for the first time in six years."

"Oh, that is true. Funny he doesn't realize how much cleaner our bed is compared to his."

'That's because his bed is a challenge when we…" Sasuke didn't finish; he just smirked wickedly.

Gently, she nudged on his arm. "Sasuke-kun, since our bed is occupied, why don't we take Sousuke's instead? We can finish the last part of our anniversary," she said suggestively into his ear.

It didn't take long for Sasuke to mentally agree and scoop his wife into his arms, as he had done so many times in the past. "I don't see why not. We already made Kenji there. Might as well give him a little brother."

Their future would never be completely crystal clear, full of sunny days. Some days, there would be tension, especially the next morning when Sousuke returned to his room, horrified to discover a golden lock on his door. There would be days of laughter, two weeks later, as Sasuke watched the poor Hyuuga boy try to ask his permission to date Kimiko, only for the Uchiha patriarch to send Koji on a pointless, but supposedly A-ranked mission that concerned a harem and a eunuch to seal the deal. And there would be days of celebration, seven months later, when Kenji aced his first test at the Academy.

There would be many days left of the future, and they knew they would have those days. And for one to be at peace, they would have to live for that. And that was what they wanted in the end: all the time in the world to just be with each other.

* * *

><p><em>11 Years Later...<em>

The little boy sat on the bed nervously, gulping as he watched the nurse before him jot down notes on her brown clipboard. He had broken his leg during an exercise at the Academy, hence his current situation. And the worst thing he wanted to hear was that his potential as a ninja would be over before it even started.

Next to him, his mother clutched his hand tightly, smiling as if to reassure him of anything bad. Finally, the nurse stopped writing, facing toward the mother and son.

"Well, Isao-kun, don't worry about not becoming a ninja. It's just a broken ankle," the nurse stated kindly. "Typically, we would send in Nanako-sensei, your regular doctor, but she's on a maternity leave. We have another doctor covering her momentarily."

"Eh? Nanako-sensei isn't available?" The mother gasped, looking more worried than earlier. "I don't know if I can trust just any doctor with my child."

The nurse smiled sweetly. "I admit that he's quite young, but he's one of the best field medics Konoha has ever seen. Many jonin captains request him for missions. Do not worry; you are in good hands."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. On cue, the nurse pulled the door knob, smiling.

"You're just in time, _sensei_," she greeted, emphasizing the last part as she handed over the clipboard to a pair of rough hands.

"Thank you, Eri-senpai, I can take over," the doctor replied. His voice sounded light and youthful, yet there was a certain delicacy to it. Quickly, the nurse bowed, winking suggestively, and left the room. The doctor never caught the wink, only both Isao and his mother's eyes widened at the sight of their newcomer.

He appeared to be no older than 16 years old, everything about him strikingly similar to Konoha's ANBU Captain. His jet-black hair spiked from the behind, his bangs framing his face quite nicely that it would be no surprise if girls swooned over him. Although his eyes were dark, they radiated friendliness and warmth, especially when tied with his smile. He was practically a teenager. Only his thick-rimmed glasses and white coat indicated he worked at the hospital.

He greeted the mother and son with a cheerful smile.

"Good morning! My name is Uchiha Kenji, and I'll be taking over Nanako-sensei as your doctor for today."


	23. Epilogue: An Uchiha of Long Ago

Epilogue: An Uchiha of Long Ago

First, I would like to apologize again for the longer update. I understand it's been over a month since the last time, but I can only answer with senior year. That's all you need to know. It's the last stretch. I'm currently in the middle of AP season. I have CCS for track. I have senior presentation. I'm currently dead from prom as I write this author's note. Honestly, please bear with me. I'M ALMOST THERE! ONCE SUMMER COMES, YOU GUYS WILL LOVE ME! (Or not. Please excuse my narcissism. I really do need it right now for the stress.)

But on another note, there are two more chapters left of this story, which makes me very sad. But I don't want to break down here yet. We can wait until the end. I want to keep this author's note short and update this story.

Here's something you should know about this chapter: It is not canon with the latest developments in the new chapters. I had this idea long before the new chapters came for Naruto. If you're confused, once you read this chapter, you'll understand why.

Anyway, on to the story! Remember, if you have any questions and comments, please feel free to message me! I'm doing a better job lately at replying to reviews to make up for not updating much! I spent a lot of time on this chapter because I knew it would be a touchy subject here!

* * *

><p>The blue-eyed baby boy squirmed in the pink-haired woman's arms. His arms stretched sideway to his mother, who stood barely a foot away. He started to whimper, desperate for his mother's touch again.<p>

Realizing this, Uchiha Sakura laughed as she cooed the baby once more. "I think he wants you back, Nanako."

Slowly, she handed the child back to his mother, a blond woman whose hair was tied into a neat bun on the top. Nanako smiled. "Yes, he's been slow to warm up to people lately. Even my father made him cry."

"Well, that's Naruto for you," Sakura added playfully, sliding a hair piece behind her eyes as she sat back at her desk. Her eyes scanned back to the files before her, her eyebrows scrunching. "Are you sure you want to come back next week? Minato's barely a month old. Don't you want some more time off from the hospital? Kenji can handle it."

"I know," Nanako replied. "But I should get back to work so Outa-kun has time for Minato too. He's only seen Minato for five days before otouchan sent him on that blasted mission. Honestly, he I think otouchan wants to hog Minato for himself."

"Your father's so excited to have a grandson, Nanako, spare him a little bit."

"Yeah, and besides, Kenji's got that special mission to prepare for," Nanako winked. She wasn't surprised to see the displeased expression on Sakura's face.

There was knocking on the door to Sakura's office, beating against the wood in a hip hop rhythm. Sakura sighed, knowing only one person in the world who could casually use her door as a drum. Before she even said a word, the door opened, revealing a dark mess of hair and a teenage boy in glasses.

"Okaasan, I'm finished with Isao-kun!" Her youngest son Kenji exclaimed, popping into the room quickly, a manila file in his hand. "So, who's up next?"

Smiling, Sakura grabbed the file from Kenji's hand, flipping through the papers swiftly. "Thank you, Kenji. I think you're done for the morning. Report for tomorrow's night shift at 6, okay? I don't want you overdoing yourself."

Glee was evident across Kenji's face. In a flash, he shrugged off his doctor's coat, threw it at the hanger, and jumped lazily in the chair in front of his mother's desk. He withdrew his glasses, tucking them neatly into his class before placing it on the desk. He leaned against his chair, placing his hands behind his head.

"Phew, finally!" Kenji sighed in relief. "The load today was more than usual. Himura-oji's back took a while to fix. Isao-kun's wasn't too bad. Miho-san came in, but I didn't see anything wrong with her. Her face was red and giggly, so I thought she had a fever, but that's it! Hey, it feels weird not working right now. Are you sure I can't do anymore? I could go to the lab and fix some-Ah, Minato-kun! I didn't see you there!"

And once more, Kenji was up again, crouching toward the baby boy in Nanako's arms. A soft giggle escaped from the young Minato upon seeing Kenji's face.

"This is so unfair," Sakura pouted, crossing her arms as she watched Kenji make funny faces to Minato. "I actually have to work to get him to like me and all Kenji has to do is be there."

"That's because Kenji has such a friendly face," Nanako said. "It's hard not to love it."

"Maybe it's because you're old!" Kenji said outloud. "Minato always cries at people with white hair! Okaasan, there's a lot coming out of yours-"

"Don't remind me, Kenji," Sakura glared at her son, which he was oblivious to. She couldn't have but face the terrible true; she did find a handful of white hair just this morning. And her youngest had this innocent, but annoying habit of counting the many white hairs he found in his parents.

"Hmm, I wonder if Outa-senpai looked like this when he was a baby," Kenji wondered out loud, tickling Minato's cheeks. "Or maybe Naruto-jiji if he had brown hair. When's Outa coming back by the way, Nanako-nee?"

"Just three more days, then Minato will be reunited with his father. Aren't you excited?" Nanako replied, smiling at her son.

"That's good to hear! Babies shouldn't be away from their father too long, ne?"

"Oh, I nearly forgot! Kenji, could you deliver this to your sister for me? It's her prenatal vitamins," Sakura requested, a bag of jars in her hand.

"Hai, hai!" Kenji nodded, grabbing the bag away from his hand, before rushing to the door, leaving the office. "Ja na, okaasan, Nanako!"

From the window, the two women watched outside to the front of the hospital, Kenji's figure quickly appearing as he strode out the building. He paused for a moment, turning his head back and forth, before making a right, still running as always. Nanako giggled.

"Mou, it's so hard to see him so grown up, all handsome and all," Nanako sighed. "He's even taller than me!"

Sakura couldn't help but agree. "Yes, he has..." And she remembered how instead of kunais and medical clipboards and chakra scapels, Kenji used to carry a bunny plushie wherever he went. How he looked so similar to her husband when he was a teenager. Except, one distinct aspect separated those two.

_Sasuke-kun, could you have smiled like that when we were younger?_

* * *

><p>"Hmmmm...Oneechan got more fishes," Kenji said to himself, his black orbs staring deeply into the koi pond. If he could name one thing that he loved about visiting the Hyuuga District of Konohagakure, it was their koi ponds. He thought that the Hyuuga did the best job on keeping their ponds fancy, yet traditional. The water was always clean, glimmering with the spring sun.<p>

He crouched closer to the pond, his eyes following each fish swimming freely. "I wonder which one's new. Could it be that one? Or maybe it's the baby one? It could be both. Ah, I didn't see that black one last time. That one definitely got bigger-"

"Kenji?" A deep voice said. "I didn't realize you were here."

Glancing back, Kenji saw a grown man standing on the wooden porch. He had long brown hair, tied loosely at the ends. His pearl-white eyes presented a mild surprise, but also welcoming warmth. His long hakama flowed loosely over his shoulders, his arms crossed underneath.

Kenji smiled at his brother-in-law. "Ohayou, Koji-nii! I was checking out your koi ponds and they're really nice! I wanted one back home, but 'tousan said they were a hassle to maintain, especially with all the construction, so we never did."

"Well, you're free to take care of ours whenever you want," Koji joked, motioning Kenji to enter. "Another delivery?"

"Hai! 'Kaasan made a new batch specifically for 'neechan, especially since there's a high chance of prematurity," Kenji explained, lifting up the bag. "Is she in the living room?"

Casually, Kenji walked inside. He had been to his sister's house so many times that it was no big deal for him to be waited upon. Especially considering how far the Hyuuga District was from his house. It was nothing out of the ordinary. Just as the smile that crept to Kenji's face when he saw a dark-haired woman sitting on the chair, a book in one hand, and another resting on her stomach.

Hyuuga Kimiko's belly certainly was growing faster than usual.

"Oneechan! I'm here!" Kenji greeted, causing his sister to jerk slightly at his presence. Recovering, she sighed deeply, pressing her fingers against her forehead.

"Mou, Kenji, will you ever not shout when you visit?" Kimiko wondered out loud, shaking her head back and forth.

"Sorry, 'neechan. Are you having headaches again? Your breaths are uneven," Kenji noted, placing the bag on the kitchen counter. "Do you need anything else?"

"I'm fine, Kenji. Thanks for bringing my vitamins," Kimiko replied, leaning her head against the couch.

"Actually, she's been having a lot of backaches, Kenji," said Koji as he walked over to his wife, sitting on the armrest. He laid both hands on Kimiko's shoulder, gently massaging them.

"Really? Why didn't you tell me, 'neechan? That's common for the third trimester! Besides, I can fix it pretty easily."

"But Kenji, it's fine, honestly! Don't you have the hospital to go-"

"Okaachan gave me the afternoon off, which means I get to spend more time with you!" Kenji quipped cheerfully, already marching to the kitchen as he opened various cupboards at the same time. "Hmm, a bowl, ah you really do have cohosh, that'll work really nice! Let's see, do you still have the kava I gave you from last time-"

"Kenji, get out of my kitchen!" Kimiko laughed. "This is really unnecessary…"

"It's okay! This is what cool uncles do for their soon-to-be niece or nephew!" Kenji rationalized, crushing the herbs. "Or maybe you might have twins! But your chakra levels don't have the patterns for an extra egg in there, so it'll just be one kid. Man, I wish you could have twins this time. That means I could be an uncle to four kids! Sano and Miko-chan are cute and all, but I want to see Uchiha babies again. It's going to be a long time before I have my own kids, so-"

"If only you got a move on with a certain Suna princess," Koji snickered.

"Hai, hai, Kenji, whatever you want. Honestly, do you really have to leave the village so soon? If my water breaks and you're not around, I'll strangle your neck!"

Kenji laughed lightly. "Don't worry, 'neechan! I put a reverse summoning seal in the labor unit. No matter where I am, somebody just needs to activate it and I'll be back at the hospital in a second. How do you think I got to Nanako-nee in time?"

"Oh yeah, I remember that," Koji nodded his head. "I can't believe you were so calm helping her give birth to Minato."

"And Outa-kun was so squirmish, I thought he'd faint," Kimiko finished, chuckling darkly at the memory.

Kenji wasn't listen; rather, he smiled contently when the herbs were crushed to the finest grains possible. He proceeded to heat a pot of hot water over the burning stove, waiting patiently for the boil. His black eyes wondered nowhere but the stove and its ingredients for his sister's medication. Kimiko smiled.

"Oh, he's in that I'm-the-best-damn-medic-nin zone again," Koji mused beside her.

"Yes, and he doesn't even realize it." It was so weird how concentrated her little brother was when it came to medical ninjutsu that Kimiko often forgot that Kenji used to be a tiny boy who switched between five topics within one sentence. His concentration and dedication now as a teenager, even for just a simple backache medication...it was quite the change.

Her hand once again found her growing stomach, feeling the slightest kick within. Her future child will definitely grow into a loving, large family. And all Kimiko could think about how Kenji would be the wonderful uncle, if only to make up for the fact that they never truly had one to start with...

_Despite her older brother having moved out of the Uchiha Manor the minute he turned 18, it still wasn't uncommon to see Sousuke continue to lounge around their home. He still came back to do his laundry, proclaiming that the machine at his apartment complex did no justice to his whites. _

_What was uncommon, however, was seeing him crouched down on the wooden porch, his ear pressed against the door to the Uchiha family meeting room intently. His eyes were so focused on the mysterious conversation inside that he didn't even realize his sister approach him._

_"Ne, niisan, what's going on?" Kimiko asked._

_As if her voice was poison to him, Sousuke nearly squeaked at her presence. He jumped slightly before crawling backwards against the sliding door, spanning his arms across to block her off. "N-N-Nothing, Kimi! W-Why would you think a-anything was happening, hahahahaha?" His laugh was too nervous, and she never took Sousuke for being naturally deceptive._

_"Really? It sure doesn't look like it." Her eyes trailed to two pairs of shoes on the grass. The tall, black boots was, as she saw everyday coming out of the house, was her father's; that wasn't hard to figure out. It was the other pair that caught her attention. She recognized that brown, bandaged pattern, one of the sandals having a recently new stitch to it from a possible rip. Funny, Kimiko clearly remembered how she just recent sewed Koji's old sandals for him to reuse-_

_Then, her eyes glowered. _

_"Niisan, what are otousan and Koji discussing in there?"_

_Sweat beads trickled down Sousuke's forehead; he was just so terrible at hiding secrets. "W-W-Why is t-that a c-c-concern? C-C-Can't Koji just casually talk to his girlfriend's father? I mean, come on, he's so brave and confident that he could handle otousan! I-It's not like he's asking for something l-life changing or something with you having a new last name or finally having K-Koji legally be my bro-"_

_"Oh my god, you are the worst liar ever!" Kimiko rolled her eyes as she kicked her brother to the side; they were just terrible at this. The only time Koji had ever specifically requested to talk to her father in private was when he asked permission to date her. And if she was right, along with the fact that Koji had made no attempt to hide the fact he was at the jewelry store searching for rings the other day, then there were very limited options._

_Sliding the door furiously, Kimiko's dark eyes instantly met with Koji's startled expression, his former, respectful sitting position interrupted by her appearance. And sitting across from her boyfriend, with his back too crouch and relaxed, his cheek resting on his hand, was the man she wanted so desperately to strangle._

_"K-Kimi, what are you doing here?" Koji gulped, his face reddening._

_Her father sighed, glancing at his son's unconscious body. "That goonbutt is useless."_

_"What are you two talking about?" The dangerous tone seethed through her teeth._

_"Um, actually..." Koji's face paled; so she was right._

_"Oi, Sousuke, get your sister out of here," Sasuke called for his son too casually. "The Hyuuga brat's still trying to marry her."_

_Sasuke only closed his eyes when his daughter kicked him right in the face. Miraculously, the Uchiha patriarch remained still._

_"WAY TO RUIN EVERYTHING, YOU CHICKEN BUTT! ALL I WANTED WAS A SUPER-CUTE, ROMANTIC PROPOSAL FROM THE MAN I LOVE AND YOU SPILL IT OUT JUST LIKE THAT! AND WHY DOES HE NEED TO TALK TO YOU OF ALL PEOPLE?"_

_"It is a long-standing tradition that Uchiha women can only leave the household for another man under the permission of her fath-" Another whack to his cheek._

_"THIS IS THE MODERN WORLD, BITCH! GET USED TO IT!"_

_"Actually, Kimi, it's the same for the Hyuuga Clan," Koji attempted to defend Sasuke meekily. "I am also bound by my family to request your hand through him-"_

_"Save it! This filthy hypocrite didn't even ask for permission!" Kimiko snarled, pointing an accused finger at her father. "We've been dating for how long, Koji? And you think I would be in love with the idea that you would ask HIM for permission?"_

_"Actually, I suggested it to Koji. Don't overreact, " Sousuke spoke uneasily, recovering from his attack as he rubbed his head. "Come on, you can't have everything go your way, right? Isn't it a sweet and polite gesture to ask first? It shows 'tousan that he's gentle and caring and-"_

_"Zip it, loser!" Kimiko snapped back as Sousuke once again cowered back. Quickly, she returned her attention to her boyfriend by pulling him up by the collar._

_"Look here, Koji! You are going to ask me right here, right now! I don't give a crap if my father doesn't approve because I know he will; he just wants to play the douchy-dad role because he's bored-" Sasuke rolled his eyes with a scowl. "-It's not gonna be much better than this, so what's it gonna be, Hyuuga?"_

_"Poor Koji, his once-in-a-lifetime chance of a sweet proposal gets ruined," Sousuke sighed sympathetically for his best friend._

_His father grunted. "If a certain dickwasn't a pushover, she would have never found out." Their father always did wonder how Sousuke, the biggest spazz in Konohagakure, gained so many fangirls._

_But even through Sousuke's glare, none of the men of the Uchiha Clan couldn't hide their warm smile when they saw Hyuuga Koji go down on knee, in front of Kimiko, asking for her hand in marriage, which she excitedly responded with a "yes!" before jumping into his arms..._

_"Hmm, I didn't realize we had so much junk up here," Kimiko mused as she dug through the numerous boxes in the dark attic. She must have found at least three broken princess dolls, dull kunais, and dozens of workbooks from the Academy days. "Ne, 'kaasan, why would you put your wedding stuff up here? Doesn't it feel abandoned?"_

_"You know it wasn't intentional, Kimi," her mother replied, throwing a ball behind her. "With all the construction going on for the New Uchiha District, I had to put away a lot of stuff."_

_"Yeah, yeah, what's the point of building an aviary anyway? I don't think we need to put our summons in one place," Kimiko mumbled, moving old curtain sheets away. "Well, hopefully I can get some ideas from your wedding. I remember it was really pretty from the video Kakashi-jiji gave us!"_

_Her fingers grazed over a velvet cover, possibly of a book. She grinned, hoping she had found her parents' wedding photo. She leaned into the box, gripping onto the book as she picked it up. She eagerly wiped away the dust, revealing the front photo. While she expected a man in a dark tux and her mother in a gorgeous wedding dress, both smiling, she was met instead with something very different._

_The front photo was not of her mother and father. Rather, it was a family photo of four, all with similar dark hair. The youngest child, in his high collar shirt, smiled the brightest. Even his coal orbs radiated a happiness that was rarely found today. And his spiky hair had yet to change over 40 years later._

_"O-Otousan?" she whispered so lowly. She had only seen photos of her father's childhood twice: A picture of him and her mother as the famous Team 7, and a different family photo of her father's. That was it. She wondered how long this book had been tucked away, whether her father had any knowledge of this, or whether he simply left it here on purpose._

_Hesitantly, she flipped through the first few pages of the book. It was strange, seeing her father in this book. There was a picture of her father as a child, probably no more than five, sitting on the lap of Kimiko's deceased grandmother, both smiling cheekily at the camera. Her eyes found another, where her grandparents stood next to each other, friendly, yet not exactly out of love; distance clouded their eyes._

_The next one frightened her: A picture of her father, being carried on the back of his older brother, and her deceased uncle, Uchiha Itachi. Though he was barely a teenager in the photo, there was an older, wiser quality attributed to Itachi that went beyond his years. Smiles roamed both the brothers' faces; Sasuke's in complete glee while Itachi's was content and relaxed. There was gentleness in Itachi's eyes that Kimiko would never see, never think to believe it was possible. Even if her father once told her the truth about Itachi's role in the Massacre, it still did no justice._

_"It's true that what he did was terrible," Kimiko was surprised to hear her mother speak, who was now standing above her. "But he was still a good man. Even to this day."_

_"Yeah, but..." Kimiko bit her lips, staring at that haunting smile that grazed her uncle (how strange it was to call the dead) on his face. "...how come I never hear otousan say anything good about Itachi?"_

_Sakura grimaced. "The Massacre is something that your father will never forget. Even if he has learned that Itachi did this for good, I don't think your father will ever truly forgive him. And I doubt he'll talk about it until he can."_

_Still, Kimiko didn't think that it was still okay for her uncle, regardless of in death or not, to still remain a mystery..._

_She was coming home from a mission when a storm struck. To escape the strong raining weather, Kimiko sought after a cave for warmth. She was about to enter when suddenly, she paused. There was somebody in there, with a powerful chakra. She leaned against the walls of the exterior, ignoring the rain droplets bouncing off her face. Pulling out a kunai, she inched closer to the entrance._

_The chakra felt strange to her, as if she knew it somewhere. For some reason, it resembled hers, an Uchiha-sort of pattern. She knew it couldn't be any of her family members. Not being a natural Uchiha, her mother was definitely out of the question. Her father was stuck back in his ANBU office due to going senile. Sousuke was taking care of a very pregnant Shikana, who was due anytime soon. And Kenji, a new genin, would be around his new teammates._

_In fact, the wiser option was to choose another cave, but this intrigued Kimiko. She needed to find out who this person was, and why their chakra was so similar to hers._

_She heard footsteps. She saw the smallest hint of a shadow; it was most likely a male. Her eyes widened when the figure quickly threw a shuriken in her direction. She deflected it immediately, charging right at her new enemy. However, he disappeared. Then, Kimiko noted the trees fading into darkness, the sky drowning in red._

_Genjutsu, she assumed. Quickly activating her sharingan, she formed the appropriate hand seals._

_"Kai!" Immediately, she found her surroundings resumed back to normal, the rain prominently increasing._

_She had a surprised gasp from her enemy. Kimiko turned around, about to prepare a chakra-enhanced fist when she faced her enemy for the first time. And she nearly screamed in pure shock._

_In front of her was a frail-looking man with long dull, brown hair. He wore an old black cloak, patterned with red clouds, ripped apart within the years. His face was soft, yet strict at the same time with the tear lines on his face. His face was so sallow, he nearly looked dead. But what surprised her most was his sharingan._

_He was an Uchiha. And yet, Kimiko couldn't deny how much he looked just like her father._

_There was only one person that could fit this description._

_"U-U-Uchiha…I-I-Itachi?" __She breathed. **How is this possible? Otousan killed him...Just how...**_

_But then, she saw deep into his eyes, how dull and lifeless they were. Even the redness of his sharingan seem to die to a pale burgundy. He looked more like a living corpse than a human being. She saw how pale his skin was not out of whiteness, but of an unhealthy, decaying yellow. Even his body was bony, as if he hadn't eaten in a hundred years._

_She could tell that Itachi had the same amount of shock just as well. Regardless of her activated sharingan, many people associated dark hair and eyes with the Uchiha clan._

_Thunder roared across the sky. Hailed mixed with the rain, trickling down Kimiko's face. She sneezed loudly, excusing herself silently._

_"Come," that was the first time she heard Itachi spoke. His voice, though deep, had a soothing quality that she rather liked. "You'll catch a cold."_

_Having no other options, Kimiko followed him to the cave. She watched as he prepared a fire with the Katon. She instantly relaxed upon feeling the warmth of the fire. She sat down, pulling out a huge blanket from her backpack, and wrapped it around herself. She shivered not from the cold, but more from how Itachi's eyes were studying her._

_"A-Ano, um, thank you, sir," she didn't know how to start._

_Surprisingly, he broke into a soft smile. "There's no need to be formal to be around your uncle, Kimiko."_

_Kimiko's eyes widened. "How d-do you-?"_

_"You are making quite the name for yourself in the ninja world."_

_Kimiko didn't know how to react. The man they thought was killed, the same one they could have called "uncle" all those years, had been here while they had nobody in their family but themselves. True, they had others they could have considered family as well; Naruto was the best uncle they could ask for, Kakashi perfected the grandfather role nicely, and Ino definitely was the crazy aunt. But still, there was still that sense of loneliness that couldn't be replaced by those not of blood._

_"Um, I-Itachi-"_

_"Jiisan," Itachi corrected light-heartedly._

_"Jiisan…" it did not sound smooth. "I'm sorry, but didn't o-otousan killed you?"_

_"Yes, he did." **Why is he being so nonchalant about this?**_

_"So, how are you..."_

_"Alive? Yes, I'm sure you're wondering," Itachi smiled. His smiles troubled Kimiko. She already knew that despite murdering their whole clan, Itachi was deep down a good person who wanted to protect the village. She had learned the truth very early on in life, yet as she talked to him at the moment, it was hard for such a warm person to commit such a terrible deed. A person whose truths and lies were mixed and unclear._

_"During the Fourth Great Shinobi War, I was one of many ninjas resurrected to be pawns for Uchiha Madara and Kabuto, our enemies," Itachi explained. "I managed to free myself from Kabuto's control to side with the Allied Forces, ready to return to the dead after Madara's forces surrendered. Unfortunately, because I had already been relinquished from Kabuto's control, I did not return when he stopped the jutsu. An Uchiha genjutsu had released me from his hold, and only that can take me back to the dead."_

_"Really…" Kimiko was nearly speechless. "S-So all this time, you've been alive?"_

_"Not technically," Itachi gave her an uneasy smile. "Though my memories and personality remain, I am just a passerby of life, standing in between. I cannot eat nor drink, feel neither warmth nor pain."_

_She felt great sympathy for her uncle. It must have been at least 25 years since that war, and here Itachi was, tortured to living a cursed life. He couldn't return to the dead, but Kimiko didn't know whether it was a good thing or not._

_"But, if you've been here all this time, why didn't you ask otousan-"_

_"Kimiko, how old are you?" Itachi suddenly asked._

_"What? Um, 21."_

_"21? That's a good age. I hope you aren't out in clubs too much?"_

_"O-Of course not! I've been busy with ANBU and all…"_

_"You're engaged," Itachi commented, staring at the blue diamond on her ring finger. Again, that warm smile he had troubled Kimiko. He was too comfortable with his state. "Congratulations. Who is your fiancee?"_

_Kimiko blinked, unsure of where Itachi was heading with this. __"H-Hyuuga Koji."_

_"Ah, a Hyuuga. __How interesting," Itachi sounded amused by this revelation. "How did your father take it?"_

_"Erm, alright. It helps that Koji-kun asked for his permission first," Kimiko replied uncomfortably. "Um, jiisan, why are you so interested?"_

_Itachi was still smiling, but Kimiko found this one different. There seem to be regret to this smile, but something that could not be controlled._

_"The one thing that kept me from remaining miserable in this cursed life was hearing stories of my little brother's children. I'm very happy to be given a moment when I can get to know my niece more."_

_Without realizing it, Kimiko felt her eyes grow moist and teary. He seemed to live a lonely life of solitude, never allowing himself to interact with the living._

_"So why didn't you come see otousan? He doesn't show it much, but I know he misses you."_

_There was a silence. Itachi sighed heavily. Kimiko knew that overall, her father despised Itachi for putting his life in hell. Yet sometimes, she would catch him staring at his old family photos, the tiniest hints of tears falling from his eyes. But here Itachi was now, and Kimiko had the urge to find out the relationship between the two._

_"I could not face your father," Itachi said honestly. "After the war, he could finally settle back into Konoha. If I had appeared before him, even if it was just to seal me away, he'll regress. I could not do it. I had to leave your father alone to recover from the horrors, because that is not something that can be cured instantly just because he reunited with his friends."_

_"But it must suck to live like this forever…"_

_Itachi smiled weakly. "It was worth it. I was pleased to hear that he married Haruno Sakura, your mother, and started his own family. Do not get me wrong; I would have loved to have been there at all your Academy graduations and Chunin Exams. I would give anything to attend your wedding too, but it is not right for the dead to stay away from the underworld long."_

_"I understand," Kimiko replied. She really did, but she didn't like it one bit. She looked at his dull eyes, how pupiless they were. He really did look like a corpse._

_"Jiisan, would you like me to seal you away?"_

_Itachi's eyes widened subtly before nodding._

_"I would very much appreciate it, however…" Itachi paused for a moment, again smiling at her. That smile made Kimiko wish Itachi had been with them their whole lives. He would have been a very good uncle to them. "If I'm going back to the dead, then please spare me some time and tell me more about our family. Now, is it true that Sasuke will be a grandfather soon?"_

_Kimiko's eyes lit up. She knew what she had to do; her uncle deserved to rest in peace after living a life like this. But for him to stall, just so he could get to know more about her, Sousuke, and Kenji, she felt great gratitude for chance. If it wasn't for chance, she would have never been given this moment. If anything, she regretted not learning more about Itachi, only seeing him as a silent hero to Konoha. At this moment, she could finally start to see him as her uncle._

_"Hai! Niisan's wife is seven months along, so everybody's really excited," Kimiko exclaimed. "Niisan's the only one really panicking. He's taping every corner with cushions and wants to take out the hardwood floors for carpets! I really don't know how he'll react when Shikana goes into labor. Oh, that's his wife by the way. She's from the Nara clan."_

_"Nara? You two have interesting choices in partners," Itachi chuckled. "And you? When will your wedding be?"_

_Kimiko noticed the delight in his tone, so she kept going. "We haven't set a date, but we're aiming sometime next year. Koji wants it in the summer but I think it'll be too hot. Otousan and okaasan got married in spring, which I think it's the perfect time."_

_"A good man will always listen to his woman," Itachi laughed. "And how about Kenji? I don't hear much about him."_

_"Kenji? Hm, he just became a genin, but he already wants to become a medic-nin."_

_"Like your mother."_

_"Yeah, he got smart from reading about medical ninjutsu. His chakra control is extremely accurate too, so it'll definitely happen! The sad part is that he has no common sense! A girl told him that she had a crush on him, and Kenji thought that crush meant murdering him! You won't believe this, but the Kazekage's daughter really likes him! I think he likes her too, but is too dumb to realize it. I mean, whenever she visits, he practically hugs her to death and never leaves her alone."_

_"The Kazekage's daughter? That's very sweet to have a distant love at his age," Itachi replied. "And what have you and Sousuke been doing?"_

_"Well, I just became an ANBU. I was looking forward to it until I realized that otousan could officially order me around, even make me stay back on certain missions."_

_"Congratulations again," Itachi laughed, playfully raising his hand in a mockful toast. "Is Sousuke ANBU as well?"_

_Kimiko shook her head. "He was going to take the exams, but then he dropped. He doesn't like killing people, and well, ANBU is basically assassinations. He led a genin team instead, which I think fits him perfectly. Actually, he was supposed to be Hokage a few months ago-"_

_"Hokage?" It was the first time Itachi sounded shocked, not that Kimiko didn't expect it. They were all there when Naruto asked him to take over. In response, Sousuke had spat out a whole cup of hot tea all over Naruto's face._

_"Yeah, Naruto said he would have been the youngest. But niisan didn't want to be Hokage, said it wasn't right for him. Even the whole village wanted him. Niisan didn't tell me why he declined being Hokage." _

_"The one best for power will never seek it." His voice was solemn, and Kimiko wondered if her uncle was ever in a similar position as Sousuke. She wasn't sure of it was an older brother thing or not._

_Fortunately, Itachi was quick to change the subject. "You must be very excited for your wedding."_

_Strange; Kimiko didn't feel caught off guard anymore when her uncle asked questions. It quickly felt at ease for her, something that she did not expect so soon. Then again, their time was limited, and she was more than overjoyed that she got to spend this little time with an uncle she always questioned, but never received answers for._

_Vigorously, she nodded. "Hai! It's going to be so good getting out of the house, but I'll miss my family very-"_

_"You're still living with your parents?" Itachi looked mildly, but genuinely shock._

_Her shoulders tensed. "Y-Yeah. I got lazy searching for apartments."_

_"I don't believe a girl like you would stay simply because of laziness." Again, Itachi didn't miss anything. Kimiko sighed in defeat, but remain silent until her uncle spoke again._

_"How bad is my brother's sight now?"_

_Her eyes widened, alarmed by his sudden suspicion, yet still correct. Again, he answered to her expression._

_"It is only a myth that an Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan will prevent you from blindness. Compounded with his strenuous battles during the Fourth Shinobi War and the emotional stress of returning to Konohagakure, the effects should have come slowly but surely. It's not uncommon for an Uchiha his age."_

_Kimiko hesitated to speak, yet then came that strange but calm smile of Itachi's. She wondered if had Itachi been a part of their lives, it would be so easy to tell him anything. He had that soft, but powerful charisma to make you say anything to him. Kimiko thought how found she would have been of her uncle had he lived._

_"It was five years ago. He fainted out of nowhere. When he woke up, he couldn't see anything. Okaasan fixed his eyes the next day, but more faint spells came. Fixing it takes about two hours, and she can't do that every day while running the hospital. Kenji had the Academy, now a genin team, and niisan was working on a huge project in Konohagakure. They're so busy with their own thing, and I just lounge around waiting for the next mission to come._

_"There's not much to do as an ANBU with no terrorist groups or world-threatening forces, so naturally, I stayed back. I'm not as good as okaasan, but I can heal parts of the cornea temporarily and force-feed him his medicine. Honestly, that man is so stubborn when it comes to his health. He won't even wear his reading glasses! That prideful asshole," she ended, irked by a memory where her father threw back his glasses right at her head when she wasn't looking._

_"Hmm, you should threaten your father that he can't walk you down the aisle if he keeps that up," Itachi joked lightly._

_But even so, their conversation never had a pause less than five seconds. Time passed, and Kimiko slowly found how carefree she felt talking with her uncle. She told her uncle about the time when The Fire Daimyo's daughter attempted to marry Sousuke. There was the time when her mother suggested that Kimiko and her father take a weekend off for father-daughter bonding time, which ended in drastic results that included Kimiko destroying several trees with her chidori and Sasuke burning all her skirts that weren't knee-length. There was the time where during a visit to the zoo, Kenji had flat-out refused to leave because he wanted to personally bandage a dolphin's injured fin. There was the time when their mother forgot about their father's birthday and ordered all three children to run around the village searching for the perfect cake for a man with no sweet tooth. There was the time when their father visited the Academy for Career Day, only to receive the scorn of the children for being boring. There was so much more that Kimiko wanted to tell him, so much that Itachi missed out on. And could have been there for._

_But she couldn't hog all the time; Itachi also had things to tell her. He told his niece about a young Sasuke throwing tantrums when Itachi wouldn't train with him. The time when Sasuke tagged along to catch a wild boar that caused rampage around the former Uchiha District. The time where her grandmother spent endless nights stitching the Uchiha symbol into each and every shirt they grew into. The time when her grandfather attempted to cook dinner for the first time that was very welcomed until they gagged from the soot-covered fish. The time when he and Sasuke spent a whole day learning the secret Uchiha Clan Rice Cakes recipe from their aunt and uncle._

_Itachi could have told her much more about Kimiko's father past, a time where Sasuke's happiness was simple, pure, and innocent. It was difficult enough for Kimiko to picture her father as a teenager, but being a little kid was a completely new dimension. To see as her father as a child unaware of the traumatic event coming just moments away...Kimiko wondered if her uncle caught her watery eyes behind the campfire._

_She didn't realize the sun's incoming rays until her uncle mentioned it softly._

_"The day has come." Though Itachi's voice remained calm, Kimiko didn't miss the unpleasant tone attached as well. Just like her, her uncle did not look forward to the morning lights. Because in this case, morning was not a friend to her._

_Kimiko released a long-held sigh, closing her eyes. For a moment, she wished that when she opened her eyes, she would see a much cleaner, livelier version of her uncle, smiling at her warmly, while she reverted back to being a child just starting the Academy. But she knew that couldn't happen. When she opened her eyes, Kimiko knew she would see a living corpse of her uncle, who was neither breathing or beating a heart. This man needed to return back to where he belonged, and that was not among the living. She could not hold him out any longer simply because she wanted to make up for more time._

_"I really don't want to do this," Kimiko whispered with a saddening smile._

_"As do I, but it is necessary," Itachi replied. "I will instruct you on the seals, and I will disappear in mere seconds."_

_Kimiko nodded, preparing her hands into the proper stance. "I understand. If otousan can find his peace...then you deserve yours as well...jiisan." The first and last day she would ever call her blood uncle caused imbalance in her resolve, but she had to remain strong as she powered through the chakra._

_"I am glad it was you, Kimiko, that has found me and will seal me away for good. Not only am I delighted to finally meet a true Uchiha daughter, but also because you are so strong and funny, I regret not even stopping by once to see you children."_

_"Iie, I know it was all for my old man," Kimiko assured him._

_"Again, I am grateful for having a very understanding niece. But before I leave, at least amuse me with one more question on my part."_

_"Anything you want, Itachi-jii."_

_"Seeing as you have recently attained ANBU, I must ask..." Itachi paused for a moment, purposely building for the dramatics. Kimiko giggled at his silly expression of curiosity. "...why do you not wear a mask?"_

_It didn't take one second for Kimiko to smirk that signature Uchiha smirk, not passed but learned from her father, and point directly at herself in high dignity._

_"I want people to think twice before they mess with Uchiha Kimiko."_

_For one last time, Itachi laughed that warm laugh Kimiko wished she could have heard in her childhood. He stepped forward, and with two fingers, poked her gently on the forehead. Confused, Kimiko blinked, but dropped it when she saw the smile adorned across her uncle's face._

_"Forgive me, Kimiko...but this will be goodbye."_

_Teary-eyed, she listened to her uncle's instructions on how to seal him, and much too soon, his body faded into the air like dust. And just as before, that sinking, lonely feeling that had cursed her and her family returned..._

"Kimi? Kimi, you alright?"

She opened her eyes, blinking profoundly. Back again in her living room, sitting on the arm chair. A few seconds later, her sight focused from the blur earlier. She must have spaced out. She turned around, meeting the concerned look spreading across her husband's face.

"Iie, I'm just exhausted, you know? Carry this giant in here," she joked, patting her stomach gently.

"Hm, if you say so," Koji raised an eyebrow. "I just find it weird that you, of all people, haven't gotten emotional and crazy with that baby."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's like pregnancy does the exact opposite for you."

Now that Koji mentioned it, Kimiko silently agreed. Never once did she recall demanding brussel sprouts from her husband in the middle of the night or any other crazy requests. She had been feeling relaxed, nothing angering her that typically would. She had been expecting moodiness in her part after watching Sousuke and his wife. According to Kimiko's father, the Yamanaka genes kicked into Shikana the moment poor Sousuke impregnated her. The quiet, soft-spoken woman had transformed into a fiery woman whose voice suddenly grew a hundred times louder over those nine months.

"Oneechan! I finished your medicine!" Kenji quipped, holding up a small bottle with a murky yellow liquid inside. "Just mix a pinch with tea twice a day. It should help with back pains."

As he laid the bowl back on the counter, Kenji walked quickly to pick up his bags, scooping up his sandals from the floor.

"Kay, I'm going off now! Ja na, Koji-nii, 'neechan!"

"What? Wait a second!" Kimiko's eyes widened. "You just got here! You don't have to leave so soon! I mean, what if something happens to my baby…" her voice trailed off the last part, and her mind was hit with an image of her uncle Itachi.

"Eh? What do you mean, 'neechan? I'm just going home, besides…" But then he saw Kimiko's face, how worried and pained she looked. He understood immediately; anybody would at this moment of his life.

Finally, Kenji strapped on his sandals tightly, fidgeting as he slung his pack over his shoulders. He turned back to his sister and brother-in-law, flashing that cheerful smile that couldn't possibly be from the Uchiha clan.

"I'm not leaving for that mission until you two have your baby shower."

He departed right before her eyes, running around the village as he always did. Kimiko sighed, knowing the inevitable. Kenji was a teenager now, no longer need hers or Sousuke's protection. She could not easily command him to stay put when people now trusted him to do more. Was this how her parents felt about her and Sousuke while raising them? Or was it the maternal hormones coming through with the new baby?

Her hand reached the top of her belly, soon meeting her husband's hand as Koji grasps her. She glanced up, smiling at the Hyuuga boy she married.

"Don't worry. Everybody will be there for our new baby, even Kenji. Yes, he'll be a whole country away, but he'll keep his promise. He's a good uncle."

"Iie, it's not the promise that I'm worried about…" Kimiko paused, looking above. The sun was almost at its high, signaling the incoming afternoon.

"I just wish his mission wasn't for three years."


	24. Epilogue: A Hopeless Bond

Epilogue: A Hopeless Bond

Hi everybody! Are you guys happy that I finally got two chapters in one month? Yes, I know you guys are happy! Especially since I made half of you guys cry last chapter. To be honest, that was NOT my intention. In fact, I have very mixed feelings because I don't like seeing people cry, but since you guys did, I guess that meant my writing worked it's way to make you feel that way...o.0

Oh yeah, I would appreciate it very much if you guys check out my tumblr page, the link on my profile. It's not like I posted a rough draft of the Prologue to a possible Rumy-Nin Sequel and plans, you know? It's not like you could easily find it under "Writing Process" tab on the left side ;)

Well, as I write this, not only is there one more chapter left, but I am also two weeks away from graduation. I can't believe I'm about the begin the next stage of my life, and it just so happens that I'll finish this story around the same time too. It hasn't really sunk in yet about graduating, so I'm not sure how I feel right now. I know I'm super excited for college, but all the bitter sweetness hasn't come in yet; hopefully, I won't cry like a crazy woman on graduation. I'll keep this author's note hort since all of you want to read the chapter anyway. I do plan on writing a huge thank you letter to you guys, but I haven't decided on how to write it yet. I'm going to write the last chapter first, then the thank you. Oh my god, this just feels so weird, knowing that one day, I won't have to write another chapter for this story. I'll be sitting at home, thinking about another. Do any of you writers feel me here? Like you have nothing to look forward to for a certain amount of time because you just finished your baby? Remember, if you have any questions, feel free to ask me!

Anyway, here's the penultimate (ah, I miss my English III Honors teacher! He was my favorite! This word is in honor of him!) chapter!

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><p><strong>UCHIHA DISTRICT<strong>

Kenji had seen that huge sign on the red entrance way for over seven years, yet it still felt new to him to read it. At first, they only had the Uchiha Manor; a home for only his parents, his siblings, and Kenji himself. One couldn't really make a district out of five people but now that their clan was finally expanding, it was a necessity. His father had saved up enough money to buy a vast plot of land near their home, leading to almost two years of construction (which later proved terrible during Shikana's pregnancy). And it would only grow for the years to come. Kenji smiled at the thought of a huge family, especially one that he hoped to add in the future.

Although their district was still small compared to other clans, Kenji still liked to stroll around. So far, aside from the original Manor, their only creations were an Uchiha dojo, an aviary for their bird summons, a garden for their mother to grow organic vegetables, and a home for Sousuke's family just down the street. Kenji wondered what their next addition would be to the District. He hoped they would find their unique thing here for the Uchiha, like the Yamanaka's flower shop, the Hyuuga's koi pond, the Nara's medicine shop, or even the Inuzuka's veterinarian hospital.

He took a left turn, making his way to the glass aviary of the Uchiha Clan. Sleeping outside contently was his white turtle dove summoning, its wings spanning nearly fifteen feet. Its red eyes perked open upon Kenji's presence. Smiling, Kenji kneeled down, rubbing his summon's beak gently, another hand grabbing a fist of seeds from a pouch.

"Hey there, boy," Kenji greeted, watching his bird nibble on the seeds in his hands. "I see you're getting a good nap ahead of time. We're going to have a long trip ahead of us today, ne?"

A strangling noise escaped from the dove. Kenji chuckled.

"I know it hasn't been a month since the last trip, Tenshi, but it's really important this time! Well, not really, it's more of those rand-ah, I can tell you all about it later! You should rest up some more! We probably won't get there until nightfall, so save your energy! I promise I'll get you those tasty, expensive gooseberries that you love."

Kenji knew he said the rights things when Tenshi nuzzled against his cheek roughly. He smoothed the feathers, standing up to look down on his dove.

"That's a good boy. Now..." Kenji turned around, scratching his chin. The Uchiha District was much too quiet for this time of day. "...where is everybody?"

He was answered by the loud wailing of a child. Kenji's ears picked up the source, his dark eyes immediately going toward a large tree. Walking quickly, he looked up to the branches, spotting a dark-haired girl in a pink summer dress, tears running down her cheeky face. She sat on the branch, clinging to the trunk for dear life.

"Ah, Miko-chan!" Kenji cried, jumping off from the ground, and then landing softly on the tree branch across from his 15-month-old niece, Uchiha Mikoto.

"Miko-chan, why do you always climb this tree? What if you fall and break your leg?"

Upon seeing her uncle's face, the little girl stopped crying; only whimpering quietly as her fingers reached for him. Gently, Kenji scooped his niece into his arms. To calm her down, he smoothed her dark hair from flyaways and leaves, chuckling.

"It's ok. Kenji-jiichan's always here for you. Even if you fell, I'd heal you right away," Kenji soothed her, jumping back to the ground lightly. Just at the moment, he sensed another chakra presence, most likely exiting from the nearby compound. The shuffling of sandals grew louder and louder. He didn't wait for them to speak first, preferring to glance behind him and smile at the brunette woman in a purple kimono.

"Hi, Shikana-nee! I got Miko-chan down!" Kenji greeted his sister-in-law, lifting Mikoto high in the air.

Shikana's blue eyes softened. "Again? Mou, I wonder why she loves that tree."

Kenji lowered his niece to the ground, the little girl immediately running to her mother. She hugged Shikana by the legs. Again, Mikoto found herself picked up in another person's arms, this time her mother adding a kiss to her forehead.

"Well, Miko? Shouldn't you say 'thank you' to your uncle here?" Shikana chuckled before turning her attention to Kenji. "I see you're off early from the hospital. Any plans today?"

"Hai! Actually, I'm about to leave Konoha in an hour, but I'll be back tomorrow for sure! I just wanted to make sure Tenshi was ready for the trip. We just went out a month ago too, so he's still exhausted-"

"'touchan!" Mikoto cried, pointing her tiny finger behind Kenji. Both Shikana and Kenji turned to the front entrance of the Uchiha District, where a dark-haired man in his late-20's entered, two bags of groceries in both hands. He was without his standard jonin vest, dressed only in the blue turtleneck and pants. The hi-ate that usually covered his wide forehead was also missing, revealing the messiness of his dark hair.

Uchiha Sousuke looked puzzled as he watched the interaction between his wife and kid brother.

"Kenji? You're back earlier than usual."

"Hai, niisan! Actually, 'kaasan gave me rest of the day off because of my trip. I was about to leave, but then Miko-chan climbed the tree, so I had to-"

"What? She did it again?" Sousuke gasped in shock, catching himself twice before he dropped the bags. He rushed toward his wife and daughter, analyzing every aspect of Mikoto for injuries.

"Miko, what did we tell you about climbing that tree? It's dangerous!"

"Don't overreact, Sousuke," Shikana attempted to calm him. "She's safe and sound. Also, shouldn't we let her explore a bit? It's good for her age."

"Still, she could have fell," Sousuke bit his lips. "First Kimi and Kenji, then Sanosuke, and now Miko! What is wrong with this family?"

"Um, what's wrong with _you_? Did you not like trees or something?" Shikana teased him, earning herself a pout from her husband.

"Hey, where's Sanosuke?" asked Sousuke.

"Oh yeah, I wanna know too! I promised to hang out with him today," Kenji reminded himself, smacking a fist into his other hand.

"I'm certain that he's still in the District," said Shikana. "Shall we check the dojo?"

* * *

><p>Back pressed against the wooden door, the boy glanced through the small opening. One hand gently slid the door more open, the other clutching the<em> bokuto<em>. His piercing green eyes concentrated only on the figure sitting in the middle of the room, meditating peacefully. He was a man in his mid-50's, grey hair mixing well with raven. The boy smirked at the man's closed eyes, which faced to the backyard. He had a perfect opportunity.

Kicking the wooden door, the boy leaped into the air, raising his wooden sword toward the man's head, screaming. "KAAAAAAAAA!"

A rough hand grabbed the wooden blade two inches before it met his hair. His eyes remaining closed, the man sighed.

It was the fourth time of the day that Sasuke thwarted one of his grandson's many attempts to attack him.

"What did I tell you about making noises before the enemy?" _Very loudly_, he added mentally. He cringed as a mental picture of Ino yakking at him on a weekly basis. Just the thought of her screaming made him deaf.

"Tch, you're no fun!" the six-year-old Sanosuke scowled, pulling the bokuto out of his grandfather's hand. "All you do is sit around like a fatty. So troublesome."

A vein popped in the corner of Sasuke's face. "Don't. Ever. Say. That."

Sanosuke returned the favor by sticking out his tongue. Both of them turned their attention to the new visitors, Sousuke, Shikana, Mikoto, and Kenji walking across the backyard. Just in time to catch her son's expression, Shikana frowned.

"Sanosuke, have more respect for your grandfather," She lectured sternly.

"But 'kachan, that prick won't train with me because he knows I'll beat him up!" Sanosuke retorted too loudly for Sasuke's aging ears.

Sasuke highly considered activating his Mangekyou for the first time in over thirty years. "I hope that offer still stands, you little snot."

"Ha! You can't do anything to me! Ino-obachan said if you ever lay a hand on me, she'll mess your head so badly, it'll make the Fourth Great War feel like a breeze!" Sanosuke threatened haughtily.

A twitch. Sasuke's glare immediately redirected to the cause of this problem; none other than his daughter-in-law, who was smiling innocently. "_You_," he snarled. His glare appeared to say more along the line "this kid's so jacked up from your irritating Yamanaka and damned Nara genes."

His message did not go misunderstood by her. Unlike many, Shikana remained immune to Sasuke's glare, giggling innocently. "Or don't worry about it, Sano. I'm sure it'll be healthy for your grandfather to have a taste of his own medicine."

"Hey, 'tousan, why aren't you wearing your glasses?" Kenji asked, pointing upward to his father's face. "Okaasan's gonna get mad if she comes home to you without them!"

"He's right. Your eyes aren't getting any better, so you might as well try to keep what you have," Sousuke backed his brother.

"Hn."

"I don't see what the fuss is. They're just glasses," said Shikana.

"Yeah you better put them on! You're gonna need 'em when I destroy you!" Sanosuke taunted, before feeling the collar of his shirt yanked from the behind.

"It would be so easy for me to wring your neck with _my eyes closed_," Sasuke said lowly, glaring at Sanosuke. If only this kid wasn't related to him.

"Anyway..." Kenji piped. "Otousan, I'm going to head out in an hour! I'll be back by tomorrow evening, 'kay?"

"What? You're leaving again?" Sanosuke yelled, surprised. Dropping his argument with his grandfather, Sanosuke jumped out of Sasuke's grip and ran over to his uncle. "But we didn't even hang out today, jiisan!"

"Don't worry, Sano. I've got an hour to kick with you and Miko."

"BUT I WANT THE WHOLE DAY!"

Sasuke twitched again at the loudness. He narrowed his eyes at Sousuke and Shikana. "Control. That. _Thing_."

"It's not like we haven't tried," Sousuke sighed. "And you really should appreciate your time with your grandchildren, 'tousan. A grumpy mood isn't going to make you live long."

Sasuke rolled his eyes before they landed on Mikoto. His face softened immediately, extending both arms out to his granddaughter. Noticing the gesture, Shikana handed over Mikoto to Sasuke, who lifted the girl against his chest.

"This one..." Sasuke tickled Mikoto's nose lightly. "...I can handle."

"So? You up for a race, Sano? Or maybe target training?" Kenji suggested, twirling a kunai in his hand.

Sanosuke nodded excitedly. "Let's race, jiisan! I got so much faster!"

"Alright. Let's start by the aviary and do ten laps around the district. Deal?"

"What? But that's too troublesome!"

"We could do five if you're not up for the challlenge," Kenji teased gently.

"TEN, IT IS!" Sanosuke screamed, already running away from the dojo.

"Sanosuke, don't cheat like that!" Shikana lectured sternly, but did not go heard by her son.

Kenji only laughed as he followed his nephew behind. Soon, the four members of the family were left watching the two figures run side by side down the road of the Uchiha District. Sasuke grinned, looking no more than relieved to be rid of his obnoxious grandson. He glanced down to his granddaughter, whose tiny fingers gripped his shoulder, yet her big black eyes tried to keep up with Sanosuke and Kenji.

Sasuke scowled. "Fine, we'll watch them."

A wide smile crept to Sousuke's face at the scene of his father walking slowly down the road of the New Uchiha District, carrying a young Mikoto in his arms. He always liked watching his children spent time with his father and brother. It reminded Sousuke at how much bigger their clan was nowadays.

"What's on your mind?"

He turned to his wife, who sat on the porch, leaning against one of the poles holding up the roof foyer. He took a sat next to Shikana, lying back on the wood, strands of his dark hair covering his forehead.

"I was thinking about how it used to just be Kimi, Kenji, our parents, and me," he whispered so softly, it was barely audible. "Now we're actually building a District."

"It couldn't have been helped. There was the Uchiha Clan Massacre and your mother's parents passed away before you guys were born," Shikana replied. "So yes, it must be strange for you to get used to having a big family."

Shikana did not miss Sousuke chewing on his lips, his eyes darting away from her. She knew that habit of his; usually, he was troubled by a lingering thought or memory if something related was mentioned. But she wouldn't have to ask, because Sousuke always started first.

"Shikana, remember in my wedding vow, I promised I would never hide anything from you as your husband?"

She nodded in return, still perplexed where he was heading. There was a crooked smile on his face that didn't go along with Sousuke's self.

"I haven't been the most honest husband since," he laughed bitterly just before he recalled the memories to his wife.

_"I want to marry Shikana."_

_His father nearly died from choking on the tea. Sasuke pounded his chest repeatedly before recovering._

_"What?" Sasuke couldn't hide the surprise._

_Sousuke nodded confidently. "I love her, otousan. I want to propose."_

_At first, he wasn't sure for his father's grumpy attitude about this announcement. And then, the words slipped out._

_"I will not let that pig and lazy bum taint the Uchiha clan."_

_Sousuke laughed. Of course his father didn't like dealing with his mother's best friend. There wasn't a time Ino did not find a way to irritate his father. Shikamaru didn't fare too well with Sasuke either, for Shikana's father never did anything to stop Ino from bothering said Uchiha._

_"Okaasan told me to use her engagement ring when proposing to Shikana. Said it'll save me money," Sousuke smiled. "You okay with that?"_

_His father smirked. "I have a better idea."_

_Sasuke stood up from his seat, exiting the dining room briefly before returning with an old wooden box in his hands. Taking a closer look, Sousuke noticed how intricately designed the box was. The box was a rich, rose-colored wood; an intricate floral pattern bordered the edges. He thought it looked incredibly old._

_"Oh, vintage," Sousuke commented, to the horror of his father._

_"Don't talk like that again."_

_"Yes, sir."_

_It wasn't until his father opened the box that Sousuke realize a ring laid inside. Nesting inside the velvet was a golden ring, the Uchiha crest shining in ruby. Seeing his father pick it up, Sousuke could have sworn he saw the slightest smile cross Sasuke's face._

_"Your grandfather proposed to your grandmother with this ring," Sasuke explained, dropping the ring in Sousuke's palm. "It's been passed down from each head of the Uchiha clan for several generations."_

_Sousuke raised an eyebrow, looking somewhat confused. "This doesn't look like the one okaasan had. How come you didn't use it?"_

_The room had grown eerily silent, and according to the distant look on his father's face, Sousuke thought it best to end this conversation. Anything related to his father's past was a topic best avoided unless he brought it up first…_

_The moment Shikana flashed her new engagement ring to all the parents, of all places in the Hokage's office, Sousuke knew Ino's reaction that would happen in the next five seconds. He was wrong; it occurred in less than one._

_"AHHHHHH OH MY GOD, SHIKANA! YOU'RE MARRYING AN UCHIHA! My goodness, this must have been here since the founding of Konoha. Shikana, imagine how much it's worth! Oh it's so beautiful, with the Uchiha clan symbol-oh no, Shikamaru, make sure I don't cry-Shikana, I'm so happy and Sousuke is such a good, sweet man for you. He's just too good-actually no, he can't do better than **you**. That's how it should be! Yeah, you better appreciate my daughter here, Uchiha! You're damn lucky you got her in the first place!"_

_Playing along, Sousuke smiled graciously. "I'll make sure to take care of her."_

_"Tch, there goes all our savings," Shikamaru muttered, lowering down his coffee cup. "Troublesome. You would think the Uchiha clan was rich enough to fund for the entire wedding. Trying to rip me off, that Sasuke."_

_"A-Actually, it's all coming from my own money," Sousuke corrected. "That way-" he stopped when the Hokage ran up to Shikana, grabbed her hand, and brought her ring finger up close to his eyes. He analyzed the ring like a researcher in a lab._

_"Oooohhh it's so sparkly… how did teme not use this for Sakura-chan?" Naruto mused. "Nenene, are we expecting any grandchildren for Sasuke-teme soon? You know, you two getting married so young…"_

_"H-Hokage-sama, i-it's nothing like that!" Shikana defended herself, blushing madly. "It happened suddenly, I mean, I didn't expect Sousuke-kun to pop the question."_

_"What are you talking about 'young,' Naruto? All of us weren't even 20 when we got married," said Sakura. At this, Naruto laughed sheepishly, hiding behind his oversized collar of his Hokage cloak._

_"Still, poor Sousuke has to stay away from Shikana until the wedding night, if you know what I mean," Naruto elbowed Sousuke, smiling deviously. Sousuke's ears turned pink, and he avoided looking in Shikamaru's direction._

_"Um, a-a-actually, w-we, erm-"_

_"What? You two never done it yet?" Naruto gasped loudly, further embarrassing the young couple. "Awww, that's so sweet of you to wait on her, Sousuke! Damn Shikana, you got real lucky here!"_

_Looking toward to the floor, Shikana twiddled with the ends of her hair vigorously, releasing a quiet grunt. Her face reddened into a deeper shade, though more of disappointment than embarrassment. This did not go unnoticed by the Hokage, whose grin widened to new levels._

_"Oh my god…Shikana's waiting on **you**? That is too cute! Right, Shikamaru?"_

_"Yes, very cute, Naruto," Shikamaru replied dryly, raising an eyebrow at Sousuke._

_"Let's stop the chit chat and get back the guest list! Naruto, you're the Hokage, we better have an excellent wedding planner!" Ino clasped her hands together excitedly as she pulled out a floral notepad. "Now, let's start with the executive table and who sits where. There's you two lovebirds, of course, and us parents, then Chomaru, Kenji-oh, I wonder if he wants to sit with the other kids? Does he want to invite Chihiro over? Yes, you cannot ignore the Kazekage; he'll love to be here! And Shikana, if you don't invite Choji, he's going to have a fit-"_

_"Don't forget to add us, Ino," a deep, drawling voice chuckled._

_All eyes turned to the two old man entering the Hokage's office, one pulling the other on a wheelchair. Nara Shikaku and Yamanaka Inoichi were aging men, trading their ninja wear for the traditional hakamas. Fitting it was for Shikaku to be in a wheelchair, his laziness long overdue. It was Inoichi who suffered the worst from old age, his former long, blond hair simply just trails of white, bald spots popping up sporadically on his head. Still, they both came in, smiling at the granddaughter they were more than happy to share._

_It didn't take long for Shikana's eyes to glow. "Ojisan!" She laughed, leaving Sousuke's side momentarily to kiss both her grandfathers on the cheek. "Of course we'll have a spot for you two! Why wouldn't we?"_

_"In case this bum dies early," Inoichi chuckled darkly, nudging gently to Shikaku._

_"Tch, tell you grandmother to stop rambling about my meds," Shikaku muttered. "I don't gotta take 'em ten times a day. That troublesome woman."_

_"But ojisan, you have to be healthy at my wedding, okay?" Shikana joked._

_"He's not the only one here, 'tousan," Ino said, glaring at her father._

_"An Uchiha huh?" Shikaku said, wheeling himself closer to Sousuke. "Never did I imagine the Nara clan joining with yours after the war."_

_Sousuke scratched the back of his head nervously. "I u-understand where you're coming from, sir. But I promise that I'll-"_

_"Iie, it's a good thing. You're a fine young man. I couldn't think of a better match for my granddaughter in Konoha. Hell, maybe in Fire Country."_

_"He's right," Inoichi added, shaking hands with Sousuke. "I look forward to a kid of an Uchiha, Yamanaka, and Nara."_

_"Ojisan!" Shikana gasped, slapping Inoichi's arm, earning more laughter from the room. Yet, Sousuke could only force out a small smile, watching his fiancée spend time with some of two of her most beloved people. Two people that Sousuke never quite got that special relationship with in his lifetime. Make that four if he wanted to hit himself harder with reality…_

_"Sousuke, is everything alright?" His mother had asked him upon leaving the Hokage Tower, catching him off guard._

_"Huh? O-Of course, okaasan. Why would you think so?"_

_"Sousuke…" Sakura repeated his name, crossing her arms tightly. His mother was always good at reading people, and this was no exception. Twenty years with this woman taught Sousuke never to fight a mother's intuition. Especially if she possessed superhuman strength._

_"You were very quiet when Shikana's grandparents came," Sakura noted. "Did something happen between you and them?"_

_"No, they're very nice to me," Sousuke replied. "I was thinking how…"_

_He paused for a moment, allowing his eyes to wander to the sky, how high he thought heaven was above the clouds and sun. His eyes soften as reality dawns him again, the pang in his chest pounding worse than earlier. That this time, it was starting to hurt._

_"…how I wished both of my grandparents could be here for my wedding like Shikana's."_

_His mother stiffened, and her green eyes are glossier, almost as if she wants to cry. Sousuke assumes her mind goes straight to her parents, people who are no longer part of their lives. Trying to reassure her, Sousuke merely smiled._

_"It's alright, 'kaasan. I know your and otousan's parents are both dead. I won't deny that. I couldn't imagine being in another family aside from you, him, Kimi, and Kenji. And Kakashi-jiji and Tsunade-sama treat me like I'm their grandson. It's just…seeing Shikana with her grandparents made our family feel so small and lonely."_

_"Yeah, it is," His mother said quietly. Just by the way his mother rubbed her elbow up and down, Sousuke knew she was hiding something, but decided not to delve. Death of parents is something he has yet to experience, and although his mother was kind and open, she was still somebody who wanted to keep some things to herself. And Sousuke didn't even want to mention the Uchiha Massacre to his father again._

_Gently, Sakura tip-toed up to her son's face, kissing him on the cheek. She ruffles with Sousuke's hair, as if he's a little boy again._

_"They would have loved to be at your wedding." Sousuke felt too convinced by her words…_

_After another mission, Sousuke decided to take a detour through the city. This time of year should bring in the flock of nomadic street vendors, how he could get the newest civilian toys for Kenji or a designer set of earrings for Kimiko._

_Looking ahead, he watched an old man, in a dirty hakama and fishermen hat, limping dreadfully. Even with the aid of a walking stick, the old man looked like he was hanging to dear life just to walk. He examined more closely, noticing dried up blood peaking through the man's pants. His head was low, the fishermen hat concealing his face._

_"That Shuchi-san," a middle-aged man grunted. "He needs to give up his pride and just go to the hospital."_

_"You know he won't," said his comrade. "That's just him."_

_"Why?" Sousuke blurted curiously._

_The two men gave him confused looks before noticing Sousuke's forehead protector; it was the immediate sign that said he wasn't a local. From their faces, Sousuke thought the two men found this darkly amusing._

_"Shuchi-san used to be from your ninja village, way before you were born. His daughter was one of those doctor ninjas, so she always took care of him," one of them explained, breathing out smoke from his pipe. "They don't talk no more."_

_"Heard she married some criminal," the other continued. "He and his wife were so angry, they left for here, didn't even attend the wedding. Now, he can't even look at a hospital without thinking about his daughter. It's some deep shit."_

_"Did they make any contact since?" Sousuke asked, worried._

_They both shrugged. "She sent him letters and a picture of her kids some time ago, and he nearly blew up. Guess he couldn't stand to see her having that bastard's child."_

_Sousuke frowned. He knew both sets of his grandparents were dead, but he couldn't imagine living with the fact if his grandparents never wanted to see him. He couldn't understand why somebody would even refuse to meet their grandchildren over such a stupid matter. They didn't deserve the hatred too._

_Unable to keep looking at the old man helplessly, Sousuke walked forward. The man stopped unwillingly, and Sousuke could sense his irritation._

_"Step aside, kid," the old man grumbled. Sousuke didn't._

_"You're limping."_

_"A smart ass, huh? Move before I make you."_

_"I'm from Konoha. I'm not a medic-nin, but I know enough to fix that leg."_

**_Wrong move_**_, Sousuke could hear his inner self scowl. The old man grew even more irritated, lifting his walking stick as if to strike him. "Boy, you mention Konoha again or I'll smash-"_

_The old man stopped, his eyes bulging. His face paled into a ghost-white color as he stared at Sousuke. Unsure of what to make from the man's reaction, Sousuke merely blinked. He found it nerving that the old man stared at nothing but his eyes. Sousuke did too. He noticed how green the old man's eyes were, and though they were dull and harsh, he could somehow picture those same eyes filled with joy and brightness._

_Slowly, the old man lowered his walking stick back to the ground. He eyed Sousuke as if he wasn't one to trust. Sousuke broke into a nervous smile, hoping to ease the situation. Then, the old man sighed in defeat._

_"Follow me."_

_Sousuke was surprised that such a stubborn man accepted his help. He made sure not to help carry the Shuchi on the way home, for he feared that walking stick would meet his head in a few seconds. Instead, he walked behind very closely, ready to catch the old man should anything befall him._

_They reached a small house, a tiny porch in the front. They stopped at the door just as the old man turned to sit on the bench. He motioned Sousuke over, who was greatly confused._

_"What? You think I'll let a rascal like you in my house? Youth these days always scheming to raid my home!" The old man barked._

_Unfazed, Sousuke nodded. "I understand, sir."_

_It didn't take long for Sousuke to find a connection between them. The kinder he was, the more agitated the old man grew. He tried to ignore it, yet he wanted to figure out why. Did he have something against Konoha just because of what Sousuke heard?_

_Shuchi lifted his bruised leg on the bench, pulling up his pants for Sousuke to examine. The teenager bended down, channeling his chakra to his palm. Within two seconds of Sousuke activating his red sharingan, the old man hissed loudly._

_"DON'T USE THAT VOODOO AROUND HERE!" Shuchi yelled angrily._

_Sousuke was slightly taken back, almost falling to the ground. Quickly, he obliged and switched off his Sharingan. It was best to not make his "patient" feel paranoid. Konoha must have left some really bad memories; rarely did he hear people, including civilians, consider his kekkei gekkai a "voodoo."_

_Nonetheless, he continued healing the bruise. It took much longer for Sousuke to heal without his Sharingan for locating the chakra channels, but it was best in this situation. He already accepted the fact that everything about himself disturbed the old man. He felt his stomach quench slightly when he had second thoughts if this was more than just about Konoha._

_The green light emitting from Sousuke's hands dimmed as he finished healing up. Sousuke turned to the Shuchi, smiling. "It's all fixed. Try to keep walking minimum today and-"_

_"Shuchi? Who's that young man with you? Why didn't you invite him in?" lectured a high voice from above. "Did you break something again?"_

_Sousuke could barely see the person peering from the window. Assuming from the voice, it was a woman, probably his wife. The blazing rays of the sun made Sousuke's eyes squint, enough to only make a dark silhouette of the woman._

_"He's nobody, Aruka!" Shuchi instantly glared at Sousuke, standing up abruptly. "He was just about to leave-"_

_"No, no, let him come in! I've made lunch, young man, so please join us!"_

_Sousuke heard a strangling noise of defeat escape Shuchi. He stomped toward the front door, reluctantly allowing Sousuke inside his home. Sousuke made sure not to kick off his ninja sandals as he always did back home, but carefully pull them off and lay them outside._

_He walked in; noticing how much space there was to the house. It didn't look so cramped once he was inside. He felt a certain warmth in here that didn't radiate from Shuchi._

_The old man dropped his keys on a nearby coffee stand, rushing straight to the dining table. Sousuke followed suit, eventually finding it awkward to stand in the middle of the room. He saw a bowl of natto to one side, noticing how similar it was to his mother's recipe. He heard the sound of footsteps grow louder._

_"That'll be my wife," grunted Shuchi. Sousuke nodded._

_Hanging on a wall, Sousuke saw an old picture. It was a portrait of a teenage girl, the glares from the sun's blocking her face. Curious, Sousuke smiled._

_"Is this your daughter?" Sousuke asked, inching closer to the photo._

_He heard Shuchi's breath suddenly cut short. "No, don't you dare-"_

_Sousuke felt his heart constrict._

_In the picture was a teenage girl, smiling brightly. She looked so young. She had a wide forehead, just like he did. She had the same heart-shaped face, another trait he was dearly teased for in the Academy days, as his. Even the shape of her eyes-almond, if he wanted to be exact-were identical to his. The only difference was her captivating jade green eyes. A Konoha forehead protector rested on top of her hair as if it were a headband. On top of her pink hair…_

_"Okaasan…" he whispered breathlessly._

_He heard somebody enter the dining room, breathing heavily. "I'm sorry, I never catch your name. Please, take a seat!"_

_Sousuke slowly turned around, his eyes widening at the sight of the old woman. She had the same exact face shape as he did. And though her hair was grey, Sousuke could catch the slightest hint of pink fading. All the pieces were fitting in that one second._

_The way Shuchi was horrified at seeing Sousuke. The way he refused hospital treatment for being a reminder of his distant daughter. The way Shuchi panicked when he saw the Sharingan. Shuchi's green eyes. His wife's pink hair. His daughter being a medic-nin from Konohagakure. Having "that bastard's child"..._

_And according to the gasp from Shuchi's wife, Sousuke found his theory correct._

_Twenty years. That's how long it took to meet his grandparents for the first time in his life. To find out that all along, they existed. Yet, never part of his life. He stepped back nervously, almost backing into the wall he was so desperate to lean against._

_"Okaasan told me you two were dead," Sousuke gritted through his teeth, unsure of what else to say. She had lied, and like so many times before, to protect them from a horrible truth._

_"All of us must have visited the city a hundred times, and you two were right here all along."_

_He turned to the old man, who looked away feeling strained and humiliated. Sousuke wondered if that was the right thing for him to say, or anything at all. He wondered how his own father felt about this, how he battled their scorn._

_He reluctantly bowed to his grandmother before slowly heading to the door._

_"I'll be taking my leave," Sousuke said sternly. "Forgive me for intruding."_

_"Sousuke, wait."_

_He hesitated to unlock the door knob. They knew his name. Without ever introducing himself. His mother must have mentioned it to them in some letter ages ago. And they remembered. So they didn't completely cut off that bond._

_Sousuke heard his grandmother's feet shuffle nervously, pulling the cabinet drawers open. He glanced to the side, watching her take out a large piece of cloth and bento box. The old woman rushed to dump the natto into a section followed by rice and random vegetables. He didn't know how to react to this strange, yet warm gesture. His eyes soon found something very out of place._

_There was another picture on the wall. Instead of being framed beautiful like his mother's portrait, it was rashly taped up. The quality wasn't great, as Sousuke assumed it was taken from a standard disposable camera. This one didn't look as old as earlier; in fact, it was probably around ten years old, give or take._

_A closer inspection made his heart ache._

_It was a picture of two children, one boy and a girl. They both possessed raven hair and big black eyes. They were dressed in civilian clothes, as if on a vacation. Both of them were pulling at each other's cheeks, yet continued to laugh in the photo._

_Sousuke clearly remembered when that picture was taken, many years ago. He was only nine, and it was one of those rare weeks when both his parents had time off. And when they did, they always took him and Kimiko out of the village. It was a beach trip off the coast of the Land of Waves. He wondered how many more pictures his mother sent to his grandparents this whole time. And how many they kept._

_"Here," Sousuke's attention immediately returned to the old woman, who held a wrapped up bento box toward him. "Your m-mission must have left you exhausted. The village is quite a travel, so you'll need the energy."_

_Uncertain, he grabbed the bento box into his hands, mumbling a quiet thank you. He didn't mean to sound rude; he just didn't expect this to happen. He saw his grandmother's eyes, which weren't green like his mother's but hazel, stare at him in distraught and regret. Sousuke felt the need to do something, yet wasn't sure how. He couldn't fix this because, in reality, it was not his fault that his grandparents refused to look at him just because of his father._

_Sousuke set the bento box to the side, digging into his knapsack. He pulled out his wallet, flipping through until his fingers found the flimsy photo paper. Sighing, he took it out and handed it to his grandmother._

_"His name's Kenji," Sousuke explained, pointing to the wallet-size picture. "He's nine now, in the Academy."_

_He saw the way his grandmother stared at the photo, her fingers grazing over Kenji's face. He wondered if she wished that Kenji stood in front of her right now, just an arm away from her touch._

_It was all he could do for his grandparents. And Kenji. Though Sousuke wasn't sure if he would ever tell his siblings the truth, he wanted to at least let his grandparents know that Kenji existed. That they have another grandson who pondered why they never saw their grandparents like most kids did._

_"Okaasan…She misses you two very much," Sousuke admitted, his voice strained. The stiffening of his stern grandfather did not go missed by the Uchiha._

_He finally met his grandfather's eyes. "We've thought about seeing her again, to change her mind and…"_

_"He's been loyal to okaasan for over twenty years," Sousuke stated firmly, his palms clenching into tight fists. "He hasn't left the village once. He can be a jerk, but at least he was there. He makes her happy, and I know she does too."_

_"But you are not your father," his grandfather said unsteadily. "You're different. If only we knew you would become so…so…"_

_At this point, Sousuke frowned. "Otousan helped me become the way I am."_

_He knew that by the expressions on his grandparents' faces, he was slowly breaking their hopes. But he didn't know what else to do, let alone know whose fault it truly was in this situation._

_"It's true that my father's clan, **my** clan, has done terrible things in the past," Sousuke started. "And I won't deny that my father himself was a criminal. But he's done a lot more good than bad since. You should have trusted that your daughter-**my** mother- is the reason he changed."_

_To his grandparents' surprise, a hard chuckle escaped Sousuke's lips._

_"I'm going to marry the girl I love in five months," he continued, withdrawing an envelope from his pack. "When we were making the guest list, I was jealous that she could put down her grandparents' names and I couldn't. Okaasan told me that if you two were alive, you guys would have loved to be at my wedding._

_"Now…" Sousuke scoffed bitterly, slamming the envelope on the table. It was one of many wedding invitations he and Shikana made by hand in order to save money. Invitations they made to give to their loved ones. "…I'm not so sure if I want the same grandparents who refused to look at me the last twenty years because they believed my future was hopeless."_

_He bowed to them, grudgingly out of respect, and exited their house. That was the first and last time he would ever see his grandparents again…_

Sousuke stared straight, almost as if he was searching for the skyscrapers of the city, wondering if his grandparents were walking those streets, let alone alive.

"Kimi and Kenji don't know, do they?" Shikana asked.

"I can tell otousan knows about it; he just rather not talk about it. He's good at that."

"It's very rare of you to never forgive somebody, and when you do, it's deep. Is there something more to it?"

Sousuke stayed silent for a moment, closing his eyes. The scene of his blade stealing blood from another flashed from so many years ago, his sharingan eyes reflecting in the pool of red.

"I've wasted so much of my life thinking my actions were to redeem my father's sins. I never realized it until Kakashi told me. I spent a long time trying to get over that, so for them-my _own_ grandparents-to remind me that my only purpose for surviving was for that..." Sousuke's hands clenched into tight fists. He released a deep breath.

"I know it was very selfish, probably hypocritical, of me to keep it a secret from Kimi and Kenji. But when I met them, just the way they looked at me...it was already too late."

Shikana grimaced. "I wonder how your mother felt about this through the whole time..."

"Actually..." Sousuke glanced over the corner of his eyes, catching the figure of Sasuke holding Mikoto coming to view. He was now wearing those gray, round glasses he dreaded wearing ever since their mother prescribed them. There was a smirk on Sasuke's face as Mikoto tried to grab onto the frames, attempting to put them on herself. Chuckling, Sasuke pulled off his glasses, gently positioning them on Mikoto's tiny head. It magnified her eyes, almost as if she was a bug. Sousuke smiled at this precious moment between both his father and daughter.

"I wonder more about how my father felt."

The peacefulness was soon interrupted by the ever-so-loud voice of his son.

"NO! DO OVER! YOU CHEATED! YOU CAN'T CLIMB THE ROOF!" huffed Sanosuke, exhausted and sweaty. He fell down to his knees, catching the last of his breath. From above the dojo roof, Kenji leaped down softly, smiling as if he just exited a massage.

"A ninja must use his surroundings wisely, Sano," Kenji winked at him. "And didn't I give you a huge head start?"

No response from Sanosuke. The boy lay back on the dusty road, breathing heavily. Shaking his head, Sousuke laughed. He stood up from the porch, walking toward his son and brother.

"Oi, Kenji, go easy on him," Sousuke punched Kenji playfully on the shoulder. "He's not even in the Academy yet."

"Ah, don't talk like that," Kenji frowned. "It's not like I threw him in the lake and made him dodge shurikens like you and neesan did to me."

"Um, I'm pretty sure that was more of Kimi's idea..."

"What are you talking about, 'tousan? Nobody goes easy on Uchiha Sanosuke!" his son fired back, using all his strength left to lift his head. "Uchiha Sanosuke goes easy on everybody!"

Again, Sanosuke's head fell back to the ground. Sousuke couldn't help but smile at his son's tired moans. He turned his attention back to Sanosuke, throwing his son into a piggy back. Sanosuke clutched his arms around his father's neck lazily, his eyes half-open.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he falls asleep for the next twenty hours," Shikana joked, ruffling through Sanosuke's hair.

"Ah! This isn't good," Kenji said to himself, looking high up to the sky. "Looks like I have to leave sooner than expected."

Quickly, he ran over to his father and Mikoto, leaning down to peck his niece on the forehead.

"Okay, Miko-chan, jiisan's going to go off now! Be a good little girl to your mother and father and grandfather and grandmother, ne? You have to be a good role model because you'll be having a new cousin soon, did you know that?" Kenji told her, whose big eyes didn't register any of the words.

In a second, he started running back to the main Manor, waving his hand back at his family. "Bye, niisan, Shikana-nee, Sano, 'tousan! Tell 'kaasan I said 'goodbye' too! And Kimi! And Koji-nii! And Nanako-nee! And Outa if he comes-"

"We got it, Kenji! Just hurry up and get out of here!" Sousuke laughed, watching his brother's figure make a turn to the Uchiha Manor. He didn't know if it was just him, but Sousuke never realized that Kenji was a good two feet taller than their mail box. Funny... he never thought that day would come. Or even pass.

* * *

><p>He made sure the red scarf was snug, wrapped carefully around his neck. It was thick enough to brace any weather to come, which Kenji would expect in the next few hours. He tied the loose strings of his beige cloak, positioning the oversized hood behind his head. Glancing back from his pack and forward over Tenshi's beak, Kenji smiled. He leaned over to Tenshi's head, smoothing over his white feathers.<p>

"Sorry we have to leave so early, but..." Kenji felt the breeze pick up. "...we have to beat the sandstorms."

The sun was still very high, good for him; it meant there would be enough time to reach his destination by the evening. He had to thank his father for helping him set up a bird summon; the trip would have taken days by foot.

"Well, Tenshi..." Kenji jumped on the dove's back, pulling on the reigns. "...Lets go."

The second Kenji bucked his legs against the dove's bird, Tenshi flew off, departing Konoha, heading for the desert.


	25. Epilogue: To the New Days

Epilogue: To The New Days

Hey guys. So I was reading my author's note of the first chapter, trying to remember where I was as I wrote it, when I noticed this little sentence. This was what I described the story was going to be:

"This isn't meant to keep you on the edge with a cliffy."

...Sorry, guys.

Anyway, I won't say much for here. I'm saving it all for the letter. If it looks like they're two chapters, it's not. This is one the LAST ONE EVER FOR THIS STORY! And the next one is a letter to you readers. Obviously, it's up to you whether you read it or not, but if you have been with this story from the very beginning, I hope you take the time to read it. I haven't written it yet as I write this author's note, so I dunno what I'll include. I'll try not to make it too long so you won't get bored. The next time I update, it's simply a letter so don't get your hopes up. Fingers crosse!

In the mean time, I have a favor to ask. If you choose to review, could you please tell me what you like about this story and what I could do to improve? I'm asking this because I realized that this has been my most successful story so far and I want to know why it is. This is to help me write better stories in the future. It doesn't have to be a long review, a sentence is fine. If you choose not to review, I'm cool with that too.

For those who won't read the letter, thank you for reading this story from the beginning to end. It wouldn't be successful without you guys, and I can't thank you enough for all the love this has given me.

Wow, I have got to stop writing long chapters. Too long, but it makes you guys happy.

* * *

><p>It was probably the seventh time that Chihiro of Sunagakure read the paper in her hand that week. And it never made her feel any better. A strand of red hair fell over her cheeks as her deep green eyes trailed over the paper.<p>

**THE FIVE SHINOBI VILLAGE MEDICAL TRANSFER PROGRAM**

**SUNAGAKURE**

_Masashi Aru (Iwa) _

_Takahashi Mizuki (Iwa)_

_Yue Tohru (Iwa) _

_Yamanaka Aoshi (Konoha) _

_Hideki Ryugin (Kumo)_

_Makimachi Hiruzen (Kumo) _

_Onoki Soujirou (Kumo)_

_Kamiya Taro (Mizu)_

Chihiro stopped reading the long list of names and sighed, the paper now hanging from her hand. Only one person from Konohagakure was transferred to Suna's medical program. It was a deal among the the shinobi villages to enhance their alliances. Help improve one another's medical program, her father had explained, by teaching new techniques that were unique to each village. She leaned against the wall, her fingers fiddling the hem of her beige dress.

"Three years, huh?" she murmured to herself. There was even limited vacation time to return home, let alone visit another village. _Kenji-kun..._

"Kumogakure has the weakest medical program among the Five Great Villages," Chihiro heard her uncle say. She looked up to see Kankuro and her aunt Temari walking down the hallway, both in white robes.

"The top ten medic-nin are automatically positioned in Kumogakure; Uchiha Kenji is ranked seventh out of 500 applicants."

"I understand, jiisan," Chihiro smiled, eyebrows slanted. "...it's just sometimes I wish he wasn't an amazing medic-nin."

"I know you wanted Kenji to transfer here, but it can't be helped. The kid was taught by his mother _and_ Tsunade-sama. No doubt that Kumogakure wants him bad," Temari explained, patting Chihiro on the shoulder. "It's tough, but you can survive it."

"Thank you, basan."

"Ok, lets go bug your father. I'm starving and he promised he'll cook today," Kankuro said as the three headed inside the Kazekage's office. Chihiro quickly stuffed the paper inside her crochet bag, an the long white ear of an old rabbit plushie sticking out.

Inside the office, Gaara of Sunagakure sat at his desk, his hand never pausing as he wrote on the papers. His hair was no longer the brilliant shade of red like Chihiro's, but fading liked rusted iron. The circles around his eyes grew only darker with time, enhanced more by his new wrinkles. His green eyes briefly looked up to catch his family, nodding before returning to his work.

"Otousan," Chihiro called, walking beside her father. Gently, she pulled out the pen from Gaara's hand, resting it to the side. "You've been working all day. You won't live long if you keep working hours like this."

"I'm sorry, Chihiro. But important matters have come up for Sunagakure that would be very beneficial," Gaara explained, a small smile across his face. "Especially to you."

"Hm? Me?" Chihiro blinked. Before she could ask, a jonin ran into the office, panting.

"Kazekage-sama! We have a situation!" the jonin screamed. "T-T-There's an intruder in Sunagakure!"

"Eh? I-Intruder?" Chihiro repeated, covering her gasp with a hand.

Gaara only raised an eyebrow. "How?"

"U-Um, he was riding a giant bird. He managed to b-bypass the g-guards and-" static erupted from his radio, voices growing louder.

"Ahhh-_static_-what's going-_static_-on-_static_-I-_static_-don't want-_static_-"

"State your purpose-_static_-kid!"

"What-_static_-oh no, no I'm not-_static_-here to attack-_static_-you guys-_static_-I'm just-_static_-visiting a friend!"

"Hmm, he doesn't sound harmful," Kankuro noted. "Oi, fix it so we can hear better."

The jonin nodded, adjusting the knobs on the radio. The static died down, the voices clearer.

"Even if you're from Konoha, no one is allowed inside-_static_-without a pass!"

The "intruder" laughed nervously. "Ahhh I knew I forgot something back home...but Chihiro-chan-_static_-knows me! Take me to her and she'll-"

"So you're target is the Kazekage's daughter? How dare you!"

"Wait no, I would never! She's my best friend! I-wait, why are you-_static_-pulling out swords? Why are the tips purple? OH MY GOD YOU POISONED IT, DIDN'T YOU? THAT'S LOW! I CAN'T DEAL WITH THIS RIGHT NOW! I'M LATE FOR CHIHIRO-CHAN!"

"He's running away! After him!"

Everybody in the room had a sweatdrop on their forehead. The adults narrowed their eyes toward Chihiro, whose face redden to the darkest shade. If Gaara wasn't anybody else, he would have face-palmed into his desk, but he was the Kazekage, so he merely grunted.

"Chihiro...control your boyfriend," Kankuro said, smirking when he noticed Gaara stiffen.

"W-w-we're not dating."

"Then remind him to bring his pass," Temari added. "Not all the guards will recognize him as Uchiha Kenji."

"Um, I wasn't aware that he was visiting today," Chihiro replied meekly.

Sighing, Gaara crossed his arms. "Call off the guards." He didn't know why he was still surprised; this was the third time Kenji entered Sunagakure, forgetting his pass back home, hence always getting into trouble with the guards.

"Hai, Kazekage-sama!" Then, the jonin proceeded to send the order through radio, the screams and arguing disappearing. He bowed before quickly leaving the office.

Relieved of any worries, Gaara leaned back into his chair, motioning his siblings and daughter to leave him at his peace. He was glad to be rid of all the paperwork today, finishing them earlier than expected. Temari, Kankuro, and Chihiro proceeded to exit his office as Gaara began to close his eyes, if only momentarily-

"Found ya, Chihiro-chan!" A voice chirped behind Gaara. The Kazekage was halfway to performing a sand cage on the intruder who snuck up behind him before he recognized the voice as Kenji's.

Temari, Kankuro, and Chihiro all gasped as they stared, wide-eyed, at the youngest Uchiha hanging upside down from the window. Gaara simply sat there, frozen at the spot, his eyes initially fearful but then switched to a death glare as Kenji landed softly on the ground. In only five seconds, Kenji had ran to Chihiro, pulled her into hug, raising her high as he swung her in a circle.

"Chihiro-chan, it's been way too long!" He exclaimed, ignoring Chihiro's red face. "I thought about going to your house first, but then I felt your chakra here. Ada, your hair is longer now. I think it looks cute! Hey, we can go to the market later, right? Sanosuke broke that really cool hourglass I bought him last time, so I have to get a new one-"

Kenji paused when he heard Gaara force out a hard cough. He met Gaara's green eyes, stern and deadly when necessary, staring at the arms around Chihiro's waist.

"Ah, please forgive me, Kazekage-sama! I forgot to say 'hi' to you!" Kenji apologized, oblivious to Gaara's true source of displeasure, prolonging his hold on Chihiro. "Actually, Naruto-jiji told me to tell you 'hi' too! And I'm sorry for the trouble with guards."

Kankuro slapped a hand to his forehead. "This kid is so stupid."

"I don't understand how he can be Sasuke _and_ Sakura's kid," Temari whispered to her brother.

"I miss the old days when the Uchiha Clan was full of vengeful, angsty, evil bastards."

"Um, K-Kenji-kun...I think you should..." Chihiro stuttered, her face burning when she realized how Kenji had one arm around her lower back, the other just below her butt. Her eyes peaked back nervously to her father's glare.

"Hm?" Kenji blinked before catching her red face. "Ah Chihiro-chan! You should have told me you were dizzy up there! I thought living in Suna would make you used to the humidity!"

"I-It's not Kenji-kun, I-I'm just..."

Slowly, he dropped her back to her feet. "You sure you don't have a fever? You're really red right now."

Her face redden to an even deeper shade when Kenji placed a hand to her forehead, inching his face closer to hers. _Ba thump, ba thump,_ her heart beated.

"Chihiro-chan, this isn't looking good. Your forehead's burning up, your heart rate's abnormal-"

"Uchiha, since you're here," Gaara said suddenly, catching both teenagers' attention. His hand gripped a scroll tightly, raising his hand for Kenji to come forward. "Please deliver this to your Hokage upon your return. Let him know that I have satisified his request."

"Request?" Kenji repeated as he took the scroll into his hand. He unrolled it, reading the message carefully. As he reached the end, his eyes widened, his lips parted slightly. He looked back to the Kazekage, almost in disbelief, who only nodded in confirmation. At this, Kenji smiled.

"Thank you very much, Kazekage-sama. I'll make sure the Hokage receives this by tomorrow evening."

He bowed gracefully in front of Gaara. Chihiro was so curious about why the message brightened Kenji that she barely recognized his hand grab her wrist, tugging on her.

"Chihiro-chan, let's go to that tempura ice cream place you were talking about last time!"

Before she knew it, Chihiro was being dragged outside of the Kazekage's office by none the youngest Uchiha.

* * *

><p>It was not surprising to find six empty bowls next to Kenji that humid evening. Less than fifteen minutes had passed since Chihiro had taken him to the only ice cream shop in Sunagakure, and it didn't appear that her friend would finish anytime soon.<p>

"Ah, that was so good!" Kenji commented. "It's weird how you guys can still have ice cream up here in the desert, but I guess the deep freeze technology that came helped a lot! Plus, it beats the heat here, ne Chihiro?"

"You are so lucky I'm treating you. You would have gone broke, considering you forgot to bring money," Chihiro sighed.

Kenji smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, Chihiro-chan. I promise the next time you visit Konoha, I'll take you to dinner everyday!"

He wondered if he had said the right thing when he saw Chihiro's shoulders slump inward. Her smile was off, almost forced. Her hands clasped together tightly, laying neatly on her lap. She looked down to her hands, and Kenji raised an eyebrow.

"You won't be back to Konoha in a long time, huh? Because of the Medical Transfer Program?"

"Yes." There was no hesitation in his answer, and it made Chihiro's insides coil uneasily.

"I've always wondered what it's like to live in another village. I like learning about new techniques and teaching others about medical ninjutsu. The shinobi system lacks on medic-nin even to this day, so we have to do everything we can. Also..." Kenji laid down the half-finished ice cream on the table, his eyes softening. "...It would be nice to have some independence."

"You couldn't just wait until your 18 and move out?" Chihiro joked lightly.

Kenji chuckled. "I could, but being the youngest, I'll always be treated like that. I'm a teenager and everybody still babies me. Don't get me wrong, I would never leave Konoha just for that. It's just a bonus, I guess, in some strange way. Everybody thinks that I have to depend on them, so doing this program is testing me to see what I can do on my own."

Chihiro could only understand. She had heard countless stories through Kenji's letters on how during his first few solo missions, his older siblings had secretly spied on him to see if he was okay or not, much to his annoyance.

"They're quite obsessive about your safety. You used to be a little boy to them."

"I understand that, and I appreciate them for protecting me. I know it was a gift to be a naive little kid, not worrying about 'harsh reality' or whatever, but..." Kenji sighed deeply, resting his cheek on a hand. "...That's pretty hard when you're in the Uchiha Clan..."

* * *

><p><em>His big, onyx eyes shined brightly, watching the enormous train before him.<em>

_The seven-year-old Kenji couldn't be more happier than this day in his short life. He had heard many stories of a man inventing a new type of transportation system called the steam engine train ever since he was little. Now that it came to life, Kenji had to take the chance to ride the first one created in Fire Country. It would take them across the continent of the ninja realm. _

_At first, Kenji didn't believe the chance of ever riding one was possible anytime soon due to high ticket rates. The family had already invested a huge amount into building a district for the Uchiha clan and Kimiko needed to buy the expensive, specialized ANBU gear._

_Fortunately, Kenji was _**_very_**_ good friends with Uzumaki Nanako, not only the Hokage's daughter, but a well-known celebrity in Fire Country simply for being "Konoha's Princess." His mother taught him never to use friends as a source for greed, but that didn't mean Kenji could turn down train tickets as a birthday present._

_"They're first class, which means you get the nicest seats!" said Nanako, flashing the tickets in front of Kenji.. _

_Hence, explained the day, where Kenji repeatedly tapped his feet at the train station. His parents were unable to attend due to a heavy workload (Kimiko would later reveal that they wanted an "at-home honeymoon" away from the kids). Because they were to be around civillians, Sousuke had insisted on them wearing "normal" clothes as an attempt to not cause trouble. His mother had outfitted Kenji into the standard, high-collar blue shirt, the Uchiha clan symbol on the back, denim jeans, and sneakers._

_"Ne, ne, niisan, it's already here! Why can't we go on?" Kenji asked his brother, whose nose was buried in a book._

_"They're cleaning it, Kenji. See here," Sousuke pointed to a diagram. "Because steam is the gas form of water, they store gallons of it in one of the carts. The valves move in circular motions to heat up the water. To make sure it doesn't get too hot, they insert a guage-OW! KIMI!"_

_"Oh sorry, I was aiming for this loud nerd talking about things nobody cares about." _

_Sousuke frowned at his younger sister's attire, primarily composed of extremely denim shorts, platform heels, and a red over-the-shoulder sweater. It didn't help that her sweater was cropped above her stomach, showing a good amount of skin for men to leer at his sister._

_"Hey Kimi, shouldn't you cover up a bit? I don't think Koji would like his girlfriend wearing that in public," Sousuke nudged toward said perverts._

_"And what about you, eh? You look like a schoolboy," Kimiko shot back, crossing her arms._

_"I do not!" Then Sousuke analyzed his outfit with a sweat drop; he wore a white button-up shirt and dark pants. To prove her point even more, Sousuke made the mistake of carrying a backpack to carry his belongings._

_"F-Fine, but so what?"_

_"You're 19. It's _**_embarassing_**_."_

_"Oniisan! Oneesan! Let's go!" Kenji tugged on both his siblings' hands as the bells rang repeatedly, signaling boarding time. Kimiko quickly grabbed her and Kenji's bags as her little brother led the way to the entry._

_After waiting in line for ten minutes, Sousuke handed the three tickets to the conductor before stepping up into the first class cart. Within two seconds of entering, Kenji's smile widened to new levels. The cart was separated into smaller compartments, a luxury of privacy provided only for the first class. He peeked through the small openings from the wooden shutter, where six cushioned seats rested in each one. _

_In one cart, a mother was tending to her infant daughter while the father pushed the luggage underneath. In another, a man in a dark suit pulled out a deck of cards in front of his similar-dressed friends. Then there was the compartment with a lone old man, smoking a pipe while reading the newspaper._

_"Wow, this is so cool!" _

_"Oh my god, I can't believe we're riding first class!" Kimiko clasped her hands in delight. "Oh, that is some fancy food there!"_

_"But we really stick out here," Sousuke watched the passengers nervously. The men wore dark business suits and ritzy watches; the women, silk kimonos and florid jewelry. Sousuke couldn't help but feel under-dressed for the casual clothes he and his siblings wore._

_Fascinated by the inside, Kenji decided to run down the narrow hallway, dodging the various passengers. He opened the door to the opposite end, smiling as he saw the next cart across. He stood on the bottom rail, rising himself to see the people in the next cart. As he peered closer, he noticed a large man next to him, birds resting on his shoulder. Kenji observed this large man, noticing his orange hair and matching eyes, wearing a button shirt and dark slacks. The man laughed softly as he fed seeds to the birds from his hand._

_"Hey, share with the others, okay?" said the man, prodding one of the bird. The bird stepped back, allowing the other two to take in._

_Kenji's jaw dropped, and his eyes sparkled in admiration._

_"You can talk to birds? That's so cool! They're not summons, ne?" _

_The man turned to Kenji, his eyes widening. His mouth parted slightly, and Kenij thought he was out of breath. The man backed away slowly, as if he just saw a ghost._

_"W-W-What...you..." he couldn't form words anymore, his eyes watching Kenji up and down. Wanting to difuse the awkwardness, Kenji grabbed the man's large hand, tugging him back inside the cart._

_"Can I show you to my big brother and sister? They're gonna think it's really cool, too! They can talk to birds too, but only after they signed that summoning contract or something like that!" Kenji rambled as his tiny body miraculously dragged the large man down the hallway. "Otousan said I'll get a summoning too after I become a genin. I think I want a pigeon so I can send lots of letters to Chihiro-chan. Oh yeah, she's my best friend from-"_

_"For the last time. hands off, you brat!"_

_"Lady, this is our room!" Kenji heard his sister scream back. They paused at the sight before them, Kimiko and a redhead woman. Though in her early 40s, the woman had unkempt hair and wore a rather short skirt. According to their conversation, Kenji deemed that she and his sister were arguing over the compartment._

_"Is that a threat, sweetie? I suggest you don't mess with me," The woman lifted her glasses snarkily._

_"Tell me that again after I break your arms."_

_"Kimi, calm down! We're supposed to be on a relaxing, trouble-free vacation!" Sousuke lectured feebly._

_"Hohoho, what's with the feisty girl, Karin?" A voice chuckled behind him. Turning around, Sousuke saw a blue-haired man, dressed in a dark suit with his buttons loosen, leaning against the wall. His violet eyes observed Kimiko up and down, his grin revealing his shark-like teeth. "Oh, you're kinda hot too."_

_Kimiko crossed her arms sternly. "You're not much a looker, you disgusting old man."_

_"Have we met before? You look kinda familar," the man asked, inching closer to Kimiko until Sousuke stepped in between the gap._

_"I'm sorry, sir. I think there's been a misunderstanding with our compartment assignment. See, you companion here believes-"_

_"Do you really want to hang around this pansy for four hours?" The man carelessly shoved Sousuke to the side, ignoring him._

_"PANSY? That makes no sense!"_

_"Come on, Suigetsu, stop hitting on this-" The woman shot her nose up high. "-skank."_

_"_**_Skank_**_? You're the one in the miniskirt, hag!" Kimiko scoffed at the woman's outfit._

_"Oh snap! She called you a hag!"_

_"Real mature," Sousuke rolled his eyes._

_"Geez, loosen up, kid."_

_"I'm 19! I am not a kid!"_

_"No way! Why you gotta dress like you're in high school?"_

_"See what I mean, niisan?"_

_"Shut up, Kimi!"_

_"Dude, that is one big forehead. How do you keep your head up?"_

_"Excuse me, I'm still here!" the woman shouted fiercely._

_"If you don't back off, hag, I will-"_

_"Ne oniisan! Oneesan, look! This guy can talk to birds! Can you believe that, on our first ride?" Kenji exclaimed, his hand latched around a large, muscular arm._

_Both Kimiko and Sousuke paused their current arguments, examining the man who was unfortunate enough to be dragged around by a seven-year-old Kenji. ._

_"Um, S-Suigetsu...Karin...This kid...he..." the large man stuttered, unlike of his appearance._

_The woman and man that the teenagers were previously arguing gasped loudly, their eyes unable to stray from Kenji._

_"S-S-Sasuke-k-kun?" Karin nearly choked on their father's name. Her face paled, and her breathing grew so erratic that Kimiko forced herself to keep the woman standing._

_"Eh? you know our father?" Kenji asked, confused._

_"Wait a minute. If you're his brother and sister..." Suigetsu trailed off until his eyes widened, horrified. Within seconds, his expression replicated Karin's._

_"Shit, you guys are Sasuke's kids?"_

_"Wrong__, Uchiha Shisui," Kimiko answered sarcastically. Suigetsu only narrowed his eyes._

_"So where's Papa Sasuke?"_

_"Oi, get inside your rooms! The train is about to depart!" The conductor shouted, pushing them inside their room. Having no choice, all of them crammed..._

_For over twenty minutes, the six sat in silence, none of them willing to say the first word. The Uchiha children sat against one side, facing the three adults. They had met people who have known their father or mother in their past travels, but that didn't mean they were open to casual conversations._

_Finally, Suigetsu broke the silence with his drawling voice._

_"Aww, you kids must be nervous, meeting me, Suigetsu of the Seven Swordsmen. In fact, I'm suprised to finally meet you three, especially from what I hear. It's okay to act like this. I mean, I would too if I finally met the man I've only heard in stories, especially of my great status."_

_"Kimi, has 'tousan ever mentioned this guy?"_

_"Never, niisan."_

_"Mister, do you carve your teeth? They're really pointy."_

_"ARE YOU SERIOUS? AFTER ALL THAT BASTARD AND I HAVE BEEN THROUGH? I'M NOT EVEN SPECIAL ENOUGH FOR BEDTIMES STORIES?"_

_"Tch, why would he? It's not like he chose us over his pathetic friends anyway," Karin spat bitterly._

_Sousuke grimaced. "Look, we can't apologize in our father's place for anything he has done to you three, but if you would be so kind to please keep the peace while-"_

_"Why do you always talk like that? It's annoying," said Suigetsu._

_"Iie, I believe it's a nice aspect. Your parents have raised you well," Juugo commented._

_"Excuse me, sir?" Kenji tapped on Juugo's arm. "How do you know our father?"_

_There was a slyness to Suigetsu's face that Kenji did not like at the moment. "Let's just say before he returned to Konoha, there were people much more...important to him."_

_"Oh cut the crap. We've been through this too much," Kimiko scowled. "We all know you three fall in one of the following categories-" she pulled up a finger. "One: a short time comrade of our father because you possessed a special ability that he'll dispose of quickly once you finish his errands." Suigetsu gawked._

_Kimiko continued, now sticking two fingers. "Two: a loyal supporter of either Orochimaru or Uchiha Madara that has some personal vendetta against him and decide to lash out his kids instead, thinking it'll make _**_so_**_ much of a difference." Karin gritted her teeth._

_Another finger up. "Three: some random person who was naive enough to think our father could somehow be their savior and stick with them to the end." Juugo smiled sheepishly._

_"Or four-" Kimiko's dark eyes darted toward Karin, smirking. "-an obsessive fangirl who refuses to give up on her so-called 'love' for our father even though he's been happily married with three kids for over twenty years."_

_From the way Karin had stood up abruptly, glarring daggers toward his sister, Kenji knew that had been the last straw for the woman. A dark fire lit behind Karin's red eyes. According to the woman's clenched fists, Karin looked like she wanted to hit Kimiko so hard. However, due to her withdrawal, Kenji assumed that Karin was well aware that she stood no chance against a daughter of the Uchiha clan. She left the compartment quickly, the others hearing her stomping down the hallway. Kenji could feel her chakra patterns unstabilizing with each second, a sign of a turmoil in her heart._

_Sousuke frowned. "You went too far there, Kimi."_

_"That doesn't make it less true. Next thing I know, she's gonna tell us how she would have been a better mother than okaasan. I hate crazy ladies like her."_

_Suigetsu only sighed, resting his legs on the seat Karin previously occupied. He laid against the wall, pulling himself in a comfortable position as he rested his head with his hands._

_"You would think after all these years, she would forget, but no. It's best not to mention your father around her." _

_"I don't want any more trouble, so why don't we agree to drop the subject?" Sousuke asked politely, earning a cackle from Suigetsu._

_"Ada ada, I guess the rumors were true about you, Uchiha Sousuke," Suigetsu smirked, flipping out a pipe from his pocket._

_"Rumors?"_

_"You're a good-looking gentleman, they say. But a complete suck-up while sassy sister here take care of all your fights. I wonder what Sasuke thinks of his oldest son being a goody two-shoe."_

_"At least I don't run underground dealings for a living," Sousuke glanced toward Suigetsu's briefcase, where a bag of white powder slipped through the zipper. Suigetsu followed the boy's eyes and smirked. He grabbed the bag into his hands, tossing it up and down._

_"Observant, aren't you? Care for a taste? Make some good bonding time with Sui-jiichan here," Suigetsu teased, waving the bag in fromt of Sousuke's blank expression._

_"Fine, no fun with you. Oi, oi, Kenji, would you like to-"_

_"You go near Kenji, we kill you," Kimiko threatened, the tip of the kunai just centimeters away from Suigetsu's throat. Sousuke's arm had immediately spreaded across Kenji's body._

_Kenji gulped at his siblings' protectiveness. It was always like this when they met enemies; his brother and sister would do all the "adult" talking while they expected him to obediently stay back in the sidelines. They thought he was too naive to understand the conversations they had with enemies when really, Kenji would catch glimpses. They couldn't shield him forever, and this was just one of those moments where he wished he could speak up, but knew his siblings wouldn't like it._

_Suigetsu wasn't fazed by the kunai up his neck, concentrating more on the two pair of blood red eyes glaring at him. He grinned. "You two better keep daddy's gift wide open, now that we got Juugo in the same room."_

_Kimiko blinked when she saw Juugo gently pull Suigetsu back into his seat. his soft, orange eyes glanced over to the two teenagers, bowing his head lowly._

_"I apologize for my comrade's rude behavior. In his place, I shall explain our relationship with your father," Juugo's voice was much too gentle to be around people like Karin and Suigetsu, Kenji noticed._

_"We don't need an explanation! Not from the likes of you!" Kimiko shouted._

_Kenji noticed how her eyes went straight to him, and he instantly knew they were, again, attempting to protect him from anything of his father's past. Even their own parents forced their way out to ensure their youngest child didn't hear much of it. Of all the Uchiha children, he was the one guarded from their father's past the most. His young age, Kenji determined, was the motive of his siblings' behavior. But his father's past wasn't exactly the best kept secret in the family. And he was tired of hearing everything from Naruto._

_"I want to hear," Kenji said quietly, bringing the attention of everybody in the compartment. He shifted slightly, uncomfortable with interrupting an argument between adults._

_"Um, I k-know otousan did bad things, but he became good, right? That's what matters in the end. A-And I'll find out eventually. Why do I have to wait?"_

_"But, Kenji..." Sousuke said softly, eyebrows furrowing._

_"Don't worry," Sousuke turned to Suigetsu, who had spoken with a strange, lazy assurance._

_"Juugo will tell the truth, but he won't be blunt. He understands what it means for a kid around Kenji's age. We may be criminals, but we're not cruel."_

_Again, Kenji held in his breath as he watched the new staredown between his older brother and Juugo. It was as if Juugo was asking for permission with his eyes. Sousuke must have understood, because he released a soft sigh and nodded. Kenji found it funny how he wanted to discover everything, good or bad, while his older brother wanted to play the naive one here. Then again, Sousuke was much older than him, probably saw more of the dark side of life._

_So Juugo did tell them the story of how they came to know their father. He told them about Team Hawk and the purpose of its formation: to hunt down Uchiha Itachi. He told them about all the promises Sasuke made for them individually: how Suigetsu would have the chance to fight Kisame, how Karin would have the opportunity to spend time with the man she obsessed over, how Juugo himself would have the comfort of knowing that Sasuke would keep him under control, let alone find a cure. He told them about Tobi's manipulation of their father, his new desire to destroy Konoha, and the end of Team Hawk. And even after their father regained his sense of life, with the end of the Fourth Great Shinobi War, he never sought them out again. Nor have they seen him since._

_"Peace can never keep missing-nin like Suigetsu and I to be financially stable," Juugo explained of their post-war life. "We were forced to do what was necessary, dealing with the kind you were most likely sent to take down for missions. I'm thankful for Suigetsu's companion, for the money has helped find treatment for my condition."_

_"Ehhh, so you do have a heart," Kimiko smirked toward Suigetsu, who merely shrugged._

_"He would have gone berserk if I wasn't around," Suigetsu replied, fidgetting with his shirt's collar._

_"I dont understand," said Sousuke in disbelief. "If my father wanted to hunt down Itachi, why didn't he go back to Konoha? He had friends to help him! Why was it you three-"_

_"Haruno Sakura's your mother, right?" Suigetsu interrupted. Sousuke hesitated to nod; it was a widely-known fact of the past that Uchiha Sasuke, the last of his clan, had married Haruno Sakura, the top medic-nin in Konohagakure. He found this question to be rhetorical._

_"I ask you this because none of you seem to be vengeful assholes like your father. Well..." Suigetsu scoffed at Kimiko. "...the boys didn't."_

_It took Sousuke five minutes to hold back Kimiko from strangling Suigetsu. _

_"People used to think that the Uchiha clan was cursed. Vengence, betrayal, forbidden jutsus, clash among clansmen, all that fun stuff. No matter how large or small the clan was at any given time. But then, your father marries that woman, and..." Suigetsu paused, observing each child individually. "...they have three genuinely happy kids."_

_"Why is that important?" asked Kimiko._

_"If she as a parent had that effect on you children, you think he would have wanted to be around that kind of aura hunting down Itachi? Your father sought only for revenge; any connection to happiness and peace would have stalled him. Same applies for the Kyuubi boy, too. It's not something you would understand until you're in that position."_

_And they probably would never, Kenji hoped. He wondered if the unlikely desire for revenge was due to having a father who faced the consequences of that path or froma mother who had seen it happen to a loved one. Then, he remembered the woman who had just walked out, her chakra pattern going haywire. It was strange; Karin was doing everything in her power not to show it, but she was in complete distress inside._

_"Ano...is the lady okay? She seems really sad," Kenji asked, worried._

_"Yeah. I mean, I know you guys were some team, big boy here decided to stay with you for his condition, but..." Kimiko glanced to the doorway. "What did she have to gain by staying?"_

_Suigetsu shrugged. "We actually never saw her again until six years ago. Coming from Sound, she never got a stable job as a ninja, so I made her my secretary. She's not obsessed about your father anymore but...it comes back here and there. Even though he attempted to kill her, Karin never really got over him; she just buried it deep inside of him."_

_Kenji noticed the way how before, Suigetsu's eyes were much more playful and relaxed. Now, it was softer, more sincere to the situation. He even sat up straighter._

_At this point, Sousuke stood up, his hand reaching for the door knob._

_"Niisan? Where you going?" Kimiko asked._

_"She's waited her whole life for otousan to give her closure," Sousuke explained sternly, never looking back. "I don't like her much, but at least I can remind her that otousan has moved on and she should too."_

_He left the room quickly, but Kenji caught the door upon it's closing. He slid out, quietly trailing behind his brother. Kenji hid in an empty compartment, watching his brother pause in front of Karin, who was now downing shots from an unattended cart. Sousuke frowned when he spotted the bottle; vodka was the never the best choice of alcohol on a train ride._

_"Combined with the shaky movements of the train, you'll throw up in seven minutes. Please stop drinking," Kenji knew his older brother wasn't the type to hand out the harsh reality; that was usually Kimiko's job. If Sousuke were to take that upon himself, he couldn't do it without being nice first, regardless of who he dealt with._

_Another shot down, then Karin chuckled bitterly. "Did mommy teach you that? Perfect mommy nurse teach you how to put bandages on boo-boos too?"_

_"She's a doctor, not a nurse," Sousuke corrected._

_"I just don't understand..." Karin's voice started to crack, refusing to look at Sousuke. "...for him to choose her...what was wrong with me?"_

_"As wrong as it was for my father to leave you guys hanging after the war, you have to accept that it was hopeless to be with him," Sousuke bit his lips, uncomfortable with this new harshness. "He's known my mother for years. He already had that bond. And she was the only woman-"_

_"So what made her the 'only woman' that could do things for him? How are you so sure that he doesn't really love your mother? He can be a very good actor, that Sasuke."_

_"He's been loyal to her for over twenty years. For normal people, that's enough to give up on someone."_

_"Sasuke doesn't need love to stay loyal to a woman; just a compromise to revive his stupid clan. What makes her special? What does he do that makes you so convinced he loves her?"_

_"I don't need to prove anything. He just _**_does,_**_" Sousuke's tone intensified._

_"You don't know, do you?" Karin cackled cruelly, dropping the shot glass carelessly to the ground. "Poor boy can't tell if mommy is living her happily ever after or a as baby making whore-"_

_"Don't talk about my mother like that!" Sousuke shouted, blue sparks revolving around his clenched fists._

_"I'm glad she married you father. She's suffering far worse than I am-"_

_"He fluffs okaasan's pillow four times."_

_Both Sousuke and Karin faced him, eyes widened. Sousuke stopped the sparks. Kenji had rarely spoken during this whole ordeal; it was an argument they thought he wasn't mature or old enough to handle._

_"Kenji...go back inside," Sousuke ordered, but Kenji maintained his position. He knew he was still young, but he wanted more than nothing to help his brother too. If only for this one time. Besides, his brother and sister couldn't protect him from everything; especially after all that Kenji had learned today._

_"When okaasan is sick, otousan tells her to lie in bed. He fluffs her pillow four times because he wants to make it just right for her. Then he asks Naruto-jiji to take the day off work so he can be with okaasan. He hides all the books from their room because okaasan likes to read when she's bored, but he knows reading gives her headaches after an hour, so he takes them away. When he makes soup for okaasan, he lets me help him so he can teach me what to do when I have a wife that's sick too. Okaasan always gets mad because she has to finish hospital papers, so otousan tells me to watch her while he gives the papers to Nanako-nee."_

_They stared at Kenji in bewilderment. Never did Sousuke and Karin expect an anecdote on what Uchiha Sasuke does for his wife when she's sick, especially one of great detail. According to the older brother's confounded expression, Kenji knew that they were unaware of their father's habits. He reasoned that it was due to a lack of time at home. Plus, he was always the one watching from the sidelines; it was about time he put it to good use._

_"Then...does she...your mother..." Karin gulped, forcing herself to look down to Kenji. "...she didn't marry him just for his name...right? She treats him well?"_

_Kenji nodded._

_"She gets up early to pick his clothes for work. When I go to the supermarket with her, okaasan spends a long time picking out tomatoes because it's otousan's favorite and she wants to get the right ones. Okaaan makes Naruto-jiji cut otousan's work by 6 on weekends so he can have dinner with us. Otousan likes really black coffee, and even though okaasan hates it, she sips it to make sure it's not too hot. Otousan smiles after he finishes it because it's really good. Otousan's eyes are bad now, so okaasan stays up really late to research about the sharingan until otousan tells her he can't sleep without her."_

_Any fierceness or fire within Karin's red eyes had disappeared with Kenji's last word. They softened tremendously as she lowered her knees so that she saw Kenji eye-to-eye, not down as a child. "Is that how you see love?"_

_"Um, I'm not sure, really. I'm still too young to really know, but I think that's what love is for my parents."_

_"Really now?" Karin chuckled; it was the first time Kenji heard her laugh not out of spite. Then, her eyes ran down the hallway so that they were staring right at their original compartment. Kenji noticed how the line of his brother's lips seem to curve upward._

_"You have someone who does all those things for you too, huh?" Sousuke had asked gently. When his brother had said that, Kenji immediately pictured the blue-haired man with shark teeth._

_Standing up, Karin looked straight at Sousuke, no longer holding any bitterness as before. There wasn't any happiness either, but...it was light. She walked past Sousuke, pausing when she reached the door knob to their compartment._

_"I'm sorry for causing so much trouble, and...for all you've been through as the eldest son. You carry the burden not only of your father, but also the Uchiha clan. That must have affected why you're the person you are now."_

_And Kenji knew that Karin spoke that truth; she just reaffirmed what he had thought of his brother all these years. It explained why Sousuke was the most serious out of the three. Why Sousuke was always thinking ten different consequences before taking action whereas Kimiko was ready to throw a punch in a second._

**_So where do I belong in this?_**_ he often thought to himself. Was his role simply to be the happy, naive one just because he was the youngest?_

_Kenji was always aware that his brother, being the oldest, was automatically treated in a way that never fell on the two younger ones. There was always this "burden" that Kenji always heard about, but never understood._

_He was cut off from his thoughts when he felt Sousuke's hand grip his shoulder tightly, leading both back to their room. Kenji looked up, seeing the shaky smile on his brother's face. This was probably the first time that Kenji realized his brother, out of the three of them, was the only one whose eyes were not completely dark and onyx; in the sunlight incoming from the windows, there were emerald tints sprinkled in those orbs. Strange, it was._

_Karin had waited for them to reach their room, opening it only when they paused next to her. Entering in, the three found a not-so-unexpected conversation between Kimiko, Suigetsu, and Juugo._

_"You call me a cock ass one more time, I'll mess up your face!"_

_"See what I mean here? What you thinkin' that you can actually hurt me, one of the great swordsmen of the Mist-"_

_"That died with the war, idiot!"_

_"Who cares? I've never met a little girl so full of herself to think that she could land a blow on me!"_

_"I could chidori your face five freakin' times a day-"_

_"Look at you, boasting like that! Gosh, I dunno who's worse: you or the pansy! And yes, the little one is my favorite!"_

_"Hey, S-Suigetsu, don't you think you should be nicer to Sasuke's daughter..."_

_"Oh, like that makes a difference!"_

_"What's that supposed to mean, fish tart?"_

_"It means that you are the living emblem of everything terrible about your fat-"_

_"Suigetsu, will you shut up? I already have a headache from this ride," Karin moaned._

_Grunting, Suigetsu leaned back, exchanging glares with Kimiko. "Tch, whatever."_

_Karin smiled, picking up her bag from underneath her former seat. once it was in her hand, she glanced toward the three Uchiha children. "I'll ask the conductor for a room change. There's an empty one just down the hall, so it's no problem."_

_"WHAT? But this room is so nice!"_

_"Please? I want more space to lie down."_

_"Ne, niisan, what did you do?" Kimiko whispered lowly to Sousuke. "Why is she...not evil?"_

_Sousuke shrugged. "Don't look at me; this was all Kenji."_

_Suigetsu must have picked up the pleading tone in Karin's voice because saw how quickly the man's frown disappeared. Sighing loudly, Suigetsu stood up, stretching out his arms. He grabbed the bags underneath his seat as well, nodding toward Juugo, who understood immediately._

_"Fine, fine, we'll leave. But this isn't the last of us!" Suigetsu sneered. "We all know you Uchihas can't get enough of Hozuki Suigetsu!"_

_There was barely enough time for Kenji to say goodbye to the three adults, as they had left immediately for another room. The door shut closed in front of his face and he wondered if they would meet Karin, Suigetsu, and Juugo again or if they were simply meant to be a memory._

_The two boys landed back into their seats, now more relaxed with not only the extra space, but the difusing tension from the former occupants. Kenji, however, pouted._

_"Ah, Juugo-san never showed us of him talking to birds." _

_"So niisan? What happened with you and Karin?"_

_"That's a secret of brotherhood, right Kenji?" Sousuke winked at Kenji. "Aren't you jealous, Kimi? I bet you wish you were as cool as me and Kenji-"_

_"Only losers who never make it to second base talk like that," Kimiko snapped back lazily. _

_Kenji did not know what it meant to reach "second base," but it must have been embarassing to his brother. Sousuke's jaw dropped the ground, his face burning red. "H-H-H-H-How-w-w-what-t-t-the-d-d-d-did S-Shikana-"_

_"Rumi-senpai's bachelorette party. Do you know how much fun it is to have a drunk Shikana at a club? It's beautiful! Ahhh I can't wait to go out with her again!" Kimiko exclaimed, slapping her brother on the shoulder. _

_"I knew that Rumi-senpai's party was out of control, but to think Shikana would be like that..." Sousuke looked away, finding the door much more interesting at the moment._

_"Come on, niisan! You got **the** Nara Shikana! Do you know why all the kunoichi call her 'Konoha's Vixen?'" Kimiko grinned slyly. "It's because she's very, very dedicated to seduction missions..."_

_"T-T-That's standard for kunoichi to d-d-do s-such acts. That doesn't necessary m-mean she's t-that kind of g-girl back h-home..." his stuttering worsen._

_"But she's very convincing to her clients; I was her backup on a lot of these missions. It's as if she pretends her target is a certain geek a certain geek with a huge forehead..."_

_"Isn't that h-how they t-teach kunoichi to m-mentally prepare for those types of m-missions?"_

_"-And then she gets together with the most prude boy in the village. Seriously, her talents are so wasted."_

_"Okay, maybe Shikana has been too forward about our relationship, maybe faster than me-"_

_"Ha! You admit it! Oh my god, too easy, niisan, too easy!" Kimiko laughed cruelly, resting her head back against her hands. "She didn't admit to you being a prude, but it was fun watching her drunk. And yes, she's quite the vixen."_

_"Kimi, that was mean!"_

_"Ne, ne, isn't second base only for baseball?" Kenji asked, but his siblings had ignored him, entering into their own form of bickering that Kenji was always familiar with..._

* * *

><p>"I should have appreciated their arguing more then," Kenji chuckled to himself, eyes concentrating on the darkening sky.<p>

"Niisan proposed to Shikana-nee a couples months later. Then neesan got engaged. I was barely ten when they left the Manor for good. I know that I could always walk to their houses; niisan is really just ten minutes away. But when I come home...it's lonely.

"But it's okay," Kenji smiled awkwardly at Chihiro. "I'll have to get used to it in three months. I'm going to miss them a lot, but...it's a good chance to be independent, you know? And I've always wanted to learn what it's like at another village."

"Kenji-kun, about what you said earlier with your brother..." Chihiro hesitated for a moment. "...did you ever find out what that burden was?"

Kenji released a deep breath, his eyes returning to the sky again. Now the stars were coming, the first one just passing the hill.

"I was never sure, but...I have an idea. It was the burden to prove the world that they should never regret allowing our father to live. To prove the world that the Uchiha clan was not as tainted as before. To prove that an Uchiha would not cause another world war. It hit him so hard, being compared to our father all the time. Neesan and I got out of it because we were younger, but...niisan was never free from it. Okaasan told me that even though people called him a genius, niisan was never one; he just worked really hard. So when people say he's not an ordinary Uchiha, it's because he's the hardest worker. He's a big dork, but I still think he's the coolest and nicest guy ever."

"And neesan," Kenji laughed lightly. "She's so scary and loud. She used to always gets into fights because her comebacks sting pretty bad. But I think she has to be like that. She acts so niisan doesn't have to. She doesn't act like it, but she's the real genius in the family. She perfected the chidori in two days while niisan struggled for over a month. She's the one, not niisan, with natural talent. The only reason people don't think she's a genius is because she's so carefree, it doesn't even matter much to her. She complains about her looks at all the time, but I think she's the most confident person, never hesitating. I look up to her for that. "

The cool breeze of the desert lifted Kenji's bangs, sweeping it to reveal how much distant his eyes were.

"You're going to miss them so much, ne Kenji-kun?"

His nod was shakey. "Everything they did for me...I can only repay them by doing my best as a ninja, and the medical program has always been my dream."

"Kumogakure is really far," Chihiro mused, forcing her hair to fall to her sides, concealing her face from Kenji's view. No response from Kenji, remaining silent.

"There's a higher air pressure in Kumogakure, so pigeons need twice amount of rest before they can deliver out a letter from there. So t-t-that's..." As she spoke, she pulled out the familiar bunny plushie from her bag, placing it into Kenji's hand. "...over a month in between letters from Suna. And you'll need a friend there."

Kenji observed the bunny in his hand, how much ragged and old it had grown. He remembered how Pochi used to be half his size as a boy. Now, it only took one hand to hold the plushie. His fingers wrapped around the bunny tightly.

"We should stop the letters, Chihiro-chan."

Chihiro was caught off guard by the sterness of Kenji's voice; he was rarely sounded that serious, but she turned to look at him, she realized that his expression did not match his tone. Instead, Chihiro found a gentle smile on Kenji's face, his eyes softening. With his hand, he pulled out the letter previously given to him by the Kazekage. Unrolling out carefully, he proceeded to read out the message.

"'To Uzumaki Naruto, Hokage of Konohagakure,

I have spoken to the Raikage about your request for the Medical Transfer Program. Although he was displeased with your request, he has agreed to switch out certain medic-nin after informing him that Suna and Konoha's promised alliance missions. In order to meet our requirements of the two-village alliance clause, which applies to every ninja from both village, one Konoha-nin assigned to Kumogakure had not met the required amount of missions with Suna-nin. It was this case that the Raikage had allowed me to take Uchiha Kenji into the Medical Transfer Program for Sunagakure. I hope you find this saitisfactory.

From your friend, Gaara, Kazekage of Sunagakure.' "

As he lowered the paper, Kenji smiled gently toward his friend, watching Chihiro's eyes widen immensely. Speechless, she was. He thought that in the corner of Chihiro's eyes were the smallest hint of tears, probably of happiness. He knew why, probably for the longest time, but never ready for what was to come.

"Sunagakure was always my first choice," Kenji explained, reaching out for Chihiro's hand. "I was supposed to start next week, but neesan would kill me if I don't quality time when her baby comes. Also, I promised Sano to be at his inauguration ceremoney at the Academy, which is in three months. Pochi might as well stay here until I come back. It's going to be a while, so..."

With his other hand, Kenji dropped Pochi the bunny in Chihiro's hand, mingling his fingers with hers. "...Wait for me."

* * *

><p>Sitting from her high chair, Mikoto watched the way her older brother's fingers drummed the dining table in a staccato beat, both waiting for their grandmother to finish making dinner.<p>

His fingers sped up, the beat growing louder. He made sudden pauses, then random patterns and notes before-

"Stop that," their grandfather ordered, irritated.

Sanosuke stuck out his tongue at Sasuke for the tenth time that day. "Oi, obachan, when's dinner ready? I'm sooooo hungry! It's so troublesome waiting!"

"Why do we have to watch them again?" Sasuke asked his wife, who was currently standing near the stove, stirring the soup in the pot.

"Sousuke and Shikana wanted a date night, so I offered to take care."

"Let the Naras do it. They're his _real_ grandparents." Sasuke cringed when he heard Sanosuke loudly scream "troublesome" for the twentieth time today.

"Please wear your glasses, Sasuke-kun," Sakura scolded, dropping the subject. Sasuke only smirked; she still added the "kun," even after their long years of marriage. Still, he obeyed his wife and reluctantly put on his glasses.

"OBBAAAACHAANNN HURRY! I'M DYING!" Sanosuke groaned, slamming his face into the table. Mikoto giggled at her brother's antics.

Sakura laughed. "Hai, hai, Sano, obachan is coming!"

She turned off the stove, the fire dying down. Pulling out a large wooden spoon, Sakura scooped up the soup, tasting it. Figuring that the temperature was just right, she poured the soup in four bowls individually before handing them out. She then laid a giant plate of vegetables and curry beef in the middle, Sanosuke licking his lips eagerly. The minute the plate landed on the table, Sanosuke's chopsticks had stolen over a third of the meat, ignoring the vegetables.

"Sano, slow down! If you get a stomache, I won't help you!" Sakura lectured.

"It's okay! Kenji-jiji will when he comes home tomorrow!" Sanosuke grinned.

"Tch, I told you that kid's terrible," Sasuke muttered under his breath. He blew on the tiny spoon, wavering it in front of Mikoto to sip on.

I know there's at least one thing you like about him," Sakura chuckled. Sasuke's face wasn't as hard or irritated at their grandson as usual, but a laid back and placid. Ever so slightly, his lips curved upward.

"His eyes."

With those two words, Sakura met with her grandson's emerald eyes, the pair that matched hers so perfectly.

_The first Uchiha to have green eyes..._Sakura smiled. "I love you too, Sasuke-kun."

"Ah, obachan! I have a question!" yelled Sanosuke, his mouth stuffed with food. He took a minute to swallow it in one go, before sighing loudly. "See, otouchan told me that he and okaachan have this special day coming up in two weeks, and I wanted to know..."

Sasuke and Sakura had a feeling that their son's kitchen would be a disaster within those two weeks. Just like how they discovered their own kitchen all those years ago. When they had developed their own familes, Kimiko and Kenji would find themselves in the same position. But right now, and for the ensuring weeks of chaos that enriched their lives, it was Sousuke's turn.

"What's an anniversary?"

_The End_

* * *

><p><strong>REMINDER: Next update is simply a Thank You letter to you readers, NOT A NEW SPECIAL CHAPTER! Just a letter, so don't get your hopes up. Unless you want to know what I feel about this story and what I have to say to your beautiful, supportive readers. <strong>


	26. Thank You to My Readers

Dear Readers,

This is not a new chapter. I am sorry. It's a letter. I warned you guys. It was there.

On to the serious part, I have no idea how long this letter will be. I am writing as I go and will upload it immediately, regardless of grammar/spelling mistakes. I want to write this letter out of pureness and rawness...if that makes sense.

First, I want to thank you guys so much for reading this story. I know that the reviews automatically suggest it, but this has been my most successful story so far on and I can't thank you guys enough for that. I wanted to let you guys know that I wrote this shortly before senior year and continued it until two weeks after graduation. Let me tell you something about graduation: It was super stressful. Between college applications, sports, Key Club, AP classes, social life, it was tiresome. I felt so lost this year, not really knowing who my true friends were. Key Club was so hectic and I always felt like I was never a good president or captain or all that stuff. I didn't think I worked hard enough for school and I was so scared that I wouldn't get into UCSD, my dream school. I never cried so much until this year. I even had some scary moments where sucidal thoughts came to my head. Don't worry, it wasn't like I was going to kill myself but the thoughts were there, and that was what scared me the most. Was I so stressed out that I was having thoughts of suicide? Did that mean I was depressed?

Luckily, somebody told me it was okay to be curious of suicide as long as I wasn't acting on it. There's so much talk about other kids doing it that it's not abnormal for it to occur in our heads. I already know that I would never do it. My family and friends would be so depressed that I would never want to force on them. I was also so scared to talk about my real feelings and troubles with my friends, I felt I was too guarded with them no matter how cheerful and goofy I was. That's where fanfiction came in; to act as my escape. I loved writing every single word for this story because it just calmed me down. To be honest, I wished I took better care with this story because when I re-read it, I found so many amateur grammar/spelling errors that I want to face-palm myself. But overall, I guess I have to live with those imperfections as a reminder. That's why it means so much to me that you guys supported this story so much. I went on Tumblr and found people suggesting this story so many times, I wanted to cry in happiness. I know I'm not on the level of Color Theory, Blind, Ripples (beautiful stories there), but seeing people reccommend this story to others on Tumblr and on some SasuSaku fansite made me felt like I was (not to sound TOO cocky and arrogant). Again, thank you so much.

I will take this part to discuss about my journey with "How Uchiha Sasuke Romanced Haruno Sakura." First of all, I started this story on a whim. I had this idea all of sudden, wrote the first chapter quickly, and uploaded it. This whole drama plot that happened? That was not my initial plan. I just wanted to write a story where Sasuke and Sakura had three kids who would hear stories about their dating life. That's why the first four-five chapters are inconsistent with the storyline, at least character-wise. Sousuke was not as insecure and polite as I later developed him as, which was my greatest concern. The idea of this deep, thriller-driven plot did not come to mind until I fully-developed the characters in my head, and what potential this story could unlock if I returned the focus to the children, specifically Sousuke.

However, I don't regret how I introduced the two older kids. In my head, I've always wanted the oldest son to be more similar to Sakura and the oldest daughter to be similar to Sasuke. However, I had to present them in a way that wouldn't show it outright. In the beginning, it's obvious that Sousuke's more like Sasuke and Kimiko to Sakura. I wanted you guys to keep reading on and realize that they're more similar to the opposite gender parent because that's how I saw more fit. Sousuke was supposed to be everything that Sasuke wasn't; polite, caring, happier, but insecure and hesitant of his position in life. Although people in the story consider him this "perfect gentleman," he's still very insecure and lost about his status as the oldest son to the Uchiha clan. That was how I developed his character around: the pressure.

Kimiko, on the otherhand...is pretty much the child of Sasuke and Inner Sakura. Never once does her mind and words not match. She was always meant to more confident than Sousuke by a million times. This is due to the fact that she was free from the pressure of the oldest children, being that she was the middle. She is able to freely speak her mind without anybody worrying about how it would affect her clan's reputation. It is also why I made her the cocky and rashful one out of the children, similar to Sasuke. I wanted her to be tough, but also prone to fear when it overcomes her, especially when it concerns those she loves. If I had to describe her, it is this: Uchiha Kimiko is loud, aggressive, short-tempered, overly-confident in herself, and rebellious. However, she is deeply concerned for her brother and always feels that she does not do enough for them except spit snarky words to those who attack them.

God, I write them like I just made a wiki page for these characters.

Anyway, for Kenji...naturally, because he's the youngest at five, I HAD to make him cute and naive and adorable and what not. But I also wanted him to understand what was happening around him. Yes, I made him dumb and naive, but not THAT much. He's still very much aware of what it means to come from the Uchiha clan. He may not know the real reasons, but he feels it. That's why I found it important to address his "position" among the siblings in the last chapter. That sense of helplessness is something that is common among the youngest child in the family, so it was important to include that.

Hmm, I wish I included more Sakura in the story. When I write SasuSaku fanfiction, I always write more on Sasuke's perspective because I find his character interesting, hence why I rather developement. Even though Sakura's presence is clear through how the children behave, I still wanted to include more scenes with her. She also grew as a parent, and I failed to present that. If I could redo this story over again, I would put more Sakura, because even though Sasuke went through a terrible past and had to grow more, Sakura needed time to shine too. For Sasuke, I was honestly worried that I did make him too OOC being a pervert and talking more. However, I reasoned myself that it was okay; he's older, happier, especially after like twenty years. And he's a parent. People do change when they have children, no matter how small or little. However, to make up for this, I did my very best to keep Sasuke in character during the flashbacks, so that's how I justified Sasuke's characterization as a parent.

Let's see, what could I have fixed for this story? Grammar and spelling. Definitely. That was embarassing. I may have been half-tired when I wrote those chapters due to senior year, but that is no excuse. People busier than me have uploaded perfectly written chapters with zero mistakes. I have to upgrade myself if I want to do better. Another fix? I still need to master the skill of using less words but the same effect. THe total word count for this story is over 150K, and that is WAY too long for a normal book. I want to practice "less is more" words in a story, so I have to try that.

What are my worries now? Well, I'll be a freshman in college. I don't know how my schedule will work out since I'll be too busy to study, let alone write fanfiction. To be honest, after seeing how successful "How Uchiha Sasuke Romanced Haruno Sakura," I am truly scared of writing my next story. I felt such a high with this story that I'm scared of feeling disappointment if I don't have the same one with my next story. I wonder if it will be as successful of this, and I worry that it won't. However, I just have to take a risk. I will have great stories and I will have terrible ones. I just have to try and see what happens. I shouldn't let reviews determine the strength of a story, even though it is so easy to believe that way. I need to improve as a writer. So for my next story, I am doing LEGIT planning. No joke; I even wrote it on a notepad with a real pencil. For my next story, I am going to take my time. Treat it like a real baby. I can only hope and work hard for it.

So again, thank you to those who read every chapter of this story. I know most of my hits come from the first chapter. There's like over 25K on my first chapter, but for the rest, there's an average of 2K so I know people read the first then ditch it. That's okay; it happens alot. But I am very thank for the ones who read every single chapter. I am also thankful for those who brough smiles to my face by reviewing. Whether it was one or every chapter, short as a sentence or long as a paragraph, it made my day reading your reviews. As of right now, there are exactly 821 reviews. That's a good amount for a story with 25 chapters, ne? I dunno if it will ever reach 1000. I would like to see that happen, but I won't be surprised if it doesn't. However, one could hope right?

Until next time, dear readers. Thank you so much for being an important part of my senior year. I will do my best to present you guys with a new story if you would like to stick with me. The support you guys have given me have brought me such happiness that I can't explain. I may not strive a career as a writer, but as a hobby...it does great wonders for my peace.

With love,

Nakoujou


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